A Good Name

When it came to naming our baby, it was a sweet and easy decision. Ryan and I knew right away, happily agreed, and have been praying for our son by name ever since. 

I first fell in love with the name Levi over a year ago when our church launched a campaign asking church members to be "Matthews" in our community. The campaign challenged us to reach the unreached by inviting people into your home, feeding them, and sharing the good news of the gospel. During this time, Ryan was asked to preach in place of our pastor which was the first sermon he ever preached from the SVBC pulpit. His message, entitled Who Will Speak, was about Jesus calling Matthew to be his disciple. 

Luke and Mark's gospels tell the same story, but call the disciple by his Hebrew name, Levi: 

"After this he went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax booth. And he said to him, 'Follow me.' And leaving everything, he rose and followed him. And Levi made him a great feast in his house, and there was a large company of tax collectors and others reclining at table with them. And the Pharisees and their scribes grumbled at his disciples, saying, 'Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?' And Jesus answered them,'Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.'" (Luke 5:27-32) 

As I read this story then and now, I can picture Levi standing as Jesus calls his name and walking away from his tax booth and sinful life to follow Him. No turning back. 

And that's when it hit me. What more could we desire for our child, our son Levi, than to one day realize his need for a Savior, turn from his sin, follow Jesus, and never look back?

It is the most important moment in all of our lives. Far above falling in love, marrying your high school sweetheart, pursuing your dreams, getting pregnant, having a child. As wonderful as those things are, they pale in comparison to accepting and knowing Christ as Lord and living for Him- now and for eternity.

About 9 months after Ryan preached this sermon, we were sitting in church on Father's Day (of all the days!) only to discover that the sermon was on this same passage: Jesus Calls Levi. I pointed it out to Ryan and wrote a note in my Bible and a permanent note in my head... Levi. 

When it came to choosing Levi's middle name, the decision was just as easy for us. I desperately wanted to honor my Dad through our son's name so we chose Davis, my maiden name. My Dad was affectionately known as "LD" to all of his friends and family. Naming him Levi Davis allows him to not only carry on the Davis name, but to have "LD" as a part of his name as well. My Dad would have adored having a little grandson and I, Lord willing, can't wait to tell Levi about what an amazing, godly man he was.

Ryan and I pray Levi will one day, by grace alone, come to know Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, will live as a disciple for Him, and never turn back. We pray he will experience fullness of joy as an obedient follower of Christ, will comprehend the brevity of this life we have on earth, and set his heart on our true home, Heaven. The place where Jesus Himself will make all things new and "will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more." 

Heaven... what we live and long for. Where we will praise and dwell with our King Jesus eternally, where we will see my sweet Dad once again, and where Levi will at last get to meet "LD."

((Proverbs 22:1))

A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches,

    and favor is better than silver or gold.

Bumpdate {22 Weeks}

How far along: 22 weeks on the 22nd! The Lord is so kind to me.

Size of baby: spaghetti squash

Total weight gain/loss: +12 pounds

Sleep: Still great. I am learning to like sleeping on my side... but it may be easier to just sleep in the bathroom :)

Cravings/Aversions: Loving acidic things: pickles, orange juice, tomatoes, salt and vinegar chips, collards with (lots and lots of) apple cider vinegar, cucumbers in rice vinegar. I could just about drink vinegar from a bottle. Still not wanting chicken. Blech!

Exercise: Running, running, running and feeling good, good, good! On pace to log 40 miles this month.

Movement: This little dude is very active! I feel him all throughout the day and a lot at night when I'm lying in bed. Ryan felt him kick for the first time on January 14th at one day shy of 21 weeks. 

Labor Signs/Symptoms: none

Best moment this week: We had our anatomy scan last week at our 21 week appointment. It was so amazing to see his growing little self. Levi is still a boy and measuring right on track! We praise God for a healthy baby so far! I think the best moment of the scan was when the nurse identified Levi's heart and said, "You can see the heart and the 4 chambers because there is a cross in the middle." Ryan said, "Tell me that's not a God thing!" The Lord loves this child, has a plan for him, and reveals Himself to us through a cross in our sons's beating heart. Miraculous!

What I am looking forward to: Starting the nursery! We painted the nursery last weekend and I can't wait to see my navy, aqua and gray vision for his room unfold. It took awhile to land on the perfect choice for Levi's bedding, but we finally decided on something from Pottery Barn Kids and I love it!

What I miss: Sleeping without having to use the restroom multiple times a night!

What I’m reading: I am currently reading Tim Keller's The Meaning of Marriage (which I highly recommend!) and have postponed BabyWise until closer to Levi's arrival. My dear friend and baby expert, Kyndra, suggested I read Happiest Baby on the Block before I read BabyWise so that's my plan. She has 3 little boys and could write a book with all of her mommy wisdom! I'm so thankful for her and all of my other mommy friends (Meg, Jess, and Mere especially) who I've been able to learn from and who are walking this beautiful journey with me! 

((Ezekiel 36:26))

And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.

God Grows Things

   
We just returned from a wonderful 9 day Christmas vacation in Colorado with family. We spent four beautiful days skiing on Copper Mountain and lots of time talking, playing games and eating yummy food. Ryan and I have awaited this vacation for an entire year. He graduated seminary on December 12 after taking 10 classes in one year. We were ready for a break! 

During our down time I was able to finish two books. Sparkly Green Earrings, a hilarious and inspiring tale about motherhood, and Jen Hatmaker's Interrupted. I read Hatmaker's 7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess this summer and it not only opened my eyes to the excess in our life, but it also challenged me to think differently about my walk with Christ (and to purge in many areas and in many ways).  

Interrupted is the prequel to 7 and to say that it was powerful is an understatement. Jen and her husband write about how God called them out of their church ministry where they were "blessing blessed people" and showed them what Jesus meant in Matthew 25:40 when he said, "Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me." 

The Hatmakers write about planting Austin New Church, their ministry to the "least of these," and how God interrupted their comfortable Christianity to draw them closer to the heart of Christ. I read many parts of the book aloud to Ryan and we reflected on how faithful the Lord has been to us since the last time we were in Colorado in 2012. So much has happened in the last two years! We had no clue how the Lord would bless us, grow us (spiritually, emotionally, academically, physically), and beautifully interrupt our lives. 

Over the course of our 3.5 year marriage, and in the last two years specifically, it is through the experiences and opportunities to trust God that we have not only grown, but have seen His unmistakable hand. Ryan now has his masters, we have a home and dog to call our own, and are overjoyed to have a baby boy on the way. God, in His perfect holiness, used our time in a one bedroom apartment, in school, and through ups and downs of ministry to draw us closer together and to Him. 

He is using this pregnancy to do the same exact thing. During the first trimester I often wondered how great it would be if I could just skip all the vomiting, fainting, and nausea and fast forward to delivery. But then God reminded me of a quote from a CIU professor and something my friend Abbey used to tell us at Bible study...

"God grows things and He's not in a hurry."

And so it is with our Christian pilgrimage. Maturity does not happen overnight. An acorn takes years to become an oak tree, a baby takes 9 months to develop, and while it may seem like we wait a long time (or sometimes just a couple of years) for God to show us His plan- His ultimate goal for us is the same: to sanctify and grow us into people that look more like Him. 

I am so grateful we didn't have the option of skipping over the last few years of knowledge and growth we experienced. I'm also grateful for the 9 months He graciously gives us to prepare for a lifetime of parenting and shepherding our son. It is only because of God's guidance and provision through seminary, full time ministry, and through every situation, good and bad, were we prepared for where He has led us today.  

I pray the Lord continues to interrupt our "plans" with His and wrecks our comfortable Christianity so we might truly experience what it means for the last to be first and the first last. I can't wait to see what the Lord will do by the next time we head to Colorado in December 2016. I have no doubt that we will, once again, look back and see His faithful hand growing and shaping us, slowly yet perfectly, into the people He has called us to be. 

Happy New Year!

I pray in 2015 you "have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God."

Ephesians 3:18-19

Christmas 2014

We had a belated Christmas celebration on the 29th with my mom and Holley since they were in Disney and we were in Colorado. Can't wait for Levi to join us next year!

Ryan finally got his USC spatula for the grill :)

Disney ornament for our tree!

Mickey hat and gloves for Levi from my mom and Holley!

Ryan snapped this pic and divinely captured "22" in the background. My Dad was celebrating with us in Heaven. :)

The best sister and best puppy ever!

((Luke 2:11))

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord!

Bumpdate {17 Weeks}

How far along: 17 weeks today!

Size of baby: turnip, 5 inches

Total weight gain/loss: +8 pounds

Movement: Felt movement for the first time last night, Dec. 17. I was laying on my back on the floor and felt several little thumps!! :)

Sleep: Still good! I have always been a stomach sleeper so it's been an adjustment to start sleeping on my side. 

Cravings/Aversions: Still loving pickles, fruit, and savory things. I've had a strong aversion to chicken the last couple of weeks and still tend to pick salty things over sweets. Which is so weird for me. Unfortunately, it looks like I spoke a little too soon about my morning (all day!) sickness. From weeks 11-13 I felt great and then BAM!... nausea and vomiting struck again with frequent, sometimes severe light-headedness thrown in there to keep me on my toes. As long as I eat every two hours and keep chugging water I am good to go! Hopefully I have finally turned a corner because I have felt great these last two weeks- thank you, Lord! 

Gender: Levi Davis Brannan, sweet baby boy!

Exercise: I run every chance I'm feeling good and will log 35 miles this month. I've also been doing some brisk walking at a steep incline on the treadmill to mix things up. Just thankful to be active! 

Labor Signs/Symptoms: Nope

Best moment this week: My sister spent the night with us last night and got to come to our 17 week appointment this morning. Love that she got to hear Levi's heart beat... 150 bpm today! So very special.

What I am looking forward to: Colorado, my 28th birthday, and Christmas!! 

What I miss: Buttoning my pants? ;)

What I’m reading: Loving my pregnancy devotional! I have a list of books I plan to read over Christmas but Babywise is next on my list for the new year! :)

((Romans 11:36))

For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. 

It's a boy!!

Ryan and I have been dying to know the gender since the moment we found out we were expecting. So naturally we scheduled an ultrasound to find out early. :) We went to WeeSee Imaging this week and it was such a sweet experience and the owner was so nice. She knew immediately that it was a boy and we were absolutely thrilled. We had an intuition from the start that this baby was a boy. I never even once thought it was a girl. So when she immediately told us, "It's a boy!" Ryan said, "I knew it!!" We are so over the moon excited to now be able to pray for this little boy, Levi, by name.

We had lunch today at Zoe's with my mom and Holley to reveal the gender of Baby Brannan. :)

Aunt Holley was right all along too-- baby boy!

Cupcakes from Sweet with blue icing in the middle :)

We had dinner at our house with the Brannan clan and celebrated with a cake!

Sweet boy!

We also celebrated Christmas with Poppy and Ryan's graduation from seminary. Such a full, fun day!

The cutest niece in the whole wide world :)

((Isaiah 43:1))

But now thus says the LORD, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.

Bumpdate {13 Weeks}

Can’t believe I’m actually writing a bumpdate! Praise be to God! I always imagined these days and now that they are actually here it seems so surreal. I don’t plan to do an update every week, but will aim for at least once a month. I have always kept a prayer journal and have been keeping track of all the details of this pregnancy there… but I figured it would be fun to share some tidbits here too. So here goes:

No bump yet but I know it's coming! :)

How far along: 13W1D

Size of baby: peach

Total weight gain/loss: +4 pounds

Sleep: Sleep is great (and is oh so very precious to me). I usually get up a couple of times a night to use the restroom but fall right back to sleep. Hallelujah!

Cravings/Aversions: From weeks 6-11 I battled CONSTANT nausea. Fortunately, I can count on one hand how many times I actually threw up during those weeks, but needless to say, I have never eaten so many saltines or drank so much ginger ale in my life! For a non-soda drinker, I am almost positive that some of those 4 pounds came from all that ginger ale I downed! ;) I thought for sure I'd be the girl with all the indulgent cravings, but up to this point I have been the girl with all the aversions! From weeks 7-10 I tried to find things I could tolerate and ate them until I didn't want to see them ever again—I ate a Groucho’s Apollo 3 days in a row, then was on a soup kick for about 5 days in a row and have probably eaten at least 4 steaks during this pregnancy so far. I have been able to maintain my daily intake of 100 ounces of water (5 years strong!) and continue to eat as many fruits and veggies as possible… Apples, bananas and grapes- oh my! As cliche as it sounds, the only thing I have craved at this point is pickles. Jars on jars on jars of Vlasic Kosher Dill Spears!!! My coffee addiction has disappeared which has worked out great! I always wondered how I would survive without my morning coffee but being repulsed by the thought and smell of it has done the trick. I didn't even suffer any withdrawal headaches- PTL! My sweet tooth has also disappeared... wonder how long that will last?! My nausea has been minimal since week 11, and while I'm grateful to God for the physical signs of a growing life inside of me, I am SO thankful that I'm starting to feel normal again! 

Gender: Ryan and I have both *thought* boy from the beginning but we will be thrilled with either and are praying for a HEALTHY baby. 
Exercise: As a year-round runner, I run an average of 50 miles per month when I'm not training for a race. I was only able to run 15 miles in October due to my nausea so I opted for long walks with Finley instead. I'm finally back to running now that I'm starting to feel better and am on pace to run 40 miles or so in November. Lord willing, I plan to continue running as long as I am able through this pregnancy. 
Movement: Too early to feel any movement but we have SEEN him/her jump around during one of our ultrasounds- so neat! 

Labor Signs/Symptoms: Let’s pray I’m not writing anything here for several more months!

Best moment this week: Hearing baby's heartbeat (160 bpm) this morning at our 13 week appointment. It was 168 at 12 weeks and 152 at 8 weeks :)

What I am looking forward to: Finding out the gender!! We both can hardly wait.

What I’m reading: I have been blessed by a sweet little devotional journal called "Waiting in Wonder." I gave this book to Megan when she was pregnant with Isaac and couldn't wait for my turn to pray through this book. It outlines your baby's growth and development, includes a memory verse for mommy, and a special prayer for baby for every week of pregnancy. 

…let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.  
((Hebrews 10:22-23))

Celebrating Life

Today, on what would have been my Dad's 60th birthday, the Lord has given us a beautiful opportunity to celebrate life... My Dad's life AND this precious new life He is knitting together. Ryan and I gratefully and joyfully announce:

Baby Brannan is due May 28, 2015!

To God be the glory, great things He has done!

((Psalm 139:13-14))

For you formed my inward parts;

you knitted me together in my mother's womb.

I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.

  

Blessed Assurance {Romans 8 Retreat}

This past weekend a handful of us from our old Bible study group headed to Bluefield, WV to see our beloved Abbey. A couple of months ago we each received a beautiful invitation in the mail to attend a weekend retreat at her new home to study Romans 8. The entire weekend was a treat... right down to the pumpkin scones, homemade meals, endless laughs and parting gifts (a Scripture print of Romans 8:39!!).

Our first session was Friday night, the next two sessions were on Saturday, and our final session was Sunday morning. Abbey walked us through each section of Romans 8, declaring our blessed assurance in Christ at every turn. Paul's message in this chapter is about our sanctification and eternal security. He begins the chapter with joyous news: there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. He ends the chapter with even better news: nothing can separate us from the love of God. Both so assuring in a world that desperately competes to steal our assurance.

We talked a lot over the weekend about the things that rob our hearts of assurance. Fear of the unknown, sickness, death, lies from Satan-- were just a few. In verse 18, Paul puts some perspective on our earthly fears when he says, "For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us."

Paul is ASSURING us that our God is bigger than the troubles of this world, the hardships we face, and the suffering we endure. What's more, He uses suffering to make us more like Him and to point us toward our true home. We were not meant to bear the brokenness of sin. We were not made for this world.

But we aren't home yet. So in the meantime, God graciously gives us hope that He will be who He says He will be and He will do what He says He will do. Praise be to our God who gives us hope "as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul" and who is at the right hand of the Father, interceding for us. 

To quote Abbey, "The scope of our hope is broader than the scope of our problem." God shows us through Paul and Jesus himself that our suffering is not just worth it, but nothing even compares to it in the end! 

Sinclair Ferguson reiterates this by saying, "The suffering we go through is divine preparation for glory. The very thing that seems to stand in the way of glory is the instrument God uses to bring us to glory." 

Paul and the apostles rejoiced when they suffered because it made them more like Christ. Abbey encouraged us this weekend to look at our situation through a Genesis 50:20 lens... "As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good." Though sometimes we may not see God’s plan through cancer, ISIS or heartbreak this side of heaven; we can most assuredly trust that He uses all things for His glory and our good.

As Paul wraps up chapter 8, he tells us with confidence that neither our fears nor our suffering can separate us from the love of God. He asks what can stand against us, "Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?" (8:35). He then answers his question in verse 37 with a resounding "no."

NOTHING AND NO ONE can separate you from Christ.

THAT is blessed assurance. 

The Secret for the Seasons

August is here and that means one thing: we are inching our way towards fall! As per usual, we've had a busy and exciting summer discipling and bonding with our students. We've done all sorts of awesome things like: Journey camp, VBX, paint wars, a slumber party at our house with my 9th and 10th grade Sunday school girls, lake day with the high schoolers, island camping trip with the middle schoolers (this would be the one event I did not attend this summer because, well, CAMPING), day trip to Charleston, Ryan's weekly Bible study, my Bible study, and on top of all that… Ryan’s full-time seminary workload!

Nevertheless, Ryan has done a wonderful job balancing his many roles this summer and continues to amaze me as he leads and serves in so many different ways. We are both worn.slap.out but so grateful, honored, and humbled that THIS is the life and mission field God has called us to. We've got a back to school party coming up next week and that will round out summer 2014. Which brings me back to my first statement: fall is almost here. Which means summer WILL NOT last forever. (Insert praise hands emoji here.)

God, in His sovereignty, planned the calendar and seasons in perfect fashion. Just like the weather, His people change and come in and out of seasons of life. God has us in this particular season on purpose, for a purpose and knows just how much summer, fall, winter and spring we need. We cannot will ourselves into a different season (weather or otherwise) no matter how hard we try. But we CAN glorify Him today, exactly where He has us, and trust that the Creator of the universe is weaving our current season {of grieving, waiting, rejoicing or whatever it may be for you} into the beautiful tapestry of our lives. 

In my late teens and early twenties, I got really good at wishing and planning for the next season of my life. Never truly content with wherever I was at the time and always yearning for something just out of my reach. It was hard to understand at the time, but at 4 months shy of 28, I can look back with better spiritual vision and clearly see that the Lord was teaching me to be solely dependent on Him during those years.  

This summer, the Lord has reminded me all over again that there is something new to be learned in every season. He has all but written in the sky for me a very wise reminder from the apostle Paul: 

Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.  (Philippians 4:11-12)

Next to Jesus, Paul is my favorite Bible figure. This man experienced nearly every form of persecution possible, yet the words of his mouth and the meditation of his heart from a prison cell in Rome was: I have learned to be content.  

Paul seemingly mastered this concept as we see him write the same thing again in his pastoral epistle to Timothy, whom he mentored, saying “godliness with contentment is great gain.” (1 Timothy 6:6) Paul didn’t need anything else. He didn’t know what his future held but he knew Who held his future… and he was content with that. The same is true for us. We may not know what is next to come, but we know Who will meet us there and THAT IS ENOUGH. 

The harder we chase after contentment in desires that are NOT of God (status, attention, affirmation, possessions, money, selfish motives, our own fleshly desires), the more discontent we will become. Ultimately, His sovereign grace aligns our heart’s desires with His and we find He is always what we are searching for anyway. 

So what do we do when we feel like our life is perpetually summer? Abide with Him. Be faithful in little so we can be faithful in much. All the while, the Vinedresser strengthens and prunes us so that, “Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.” (John 15:2) Pruning in this season means abundant fruit in the next. But not until we are attached to (and content with) the Vine.


Like the apostle Paul, we continually learn the “secret” to life is being content in Jesus alone-- not Jesus+something else. When we find our satisfaction in Christ, our love for Him deepens and blossoms as winter turns into spring and spring turns into summer... 

...Fall will come right on time, when He finds we are ready for it.

From our Charleston trip on Tuesday

((Isaiah 58:11))

“And the Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.”