“TWO! WHAT? No way…this can’t be real.” And yet, there they were: two perfect babies on the screen. They moved and kicked around. We had found out a few weeks prior that we were very unexpectedly expecting again. “Four?” I wondered, “the timing sure is crazy, Lord!” After all, we just moved our little family across the country, from the coastal South East to the mountainous West. I had trouble getting peace about being pregnant again so soon after having our son, Elias. We have still been adjusting and settling in out here, and now…what a ride we’ve been on in 2020! Then all of the sudden, baby #4, became #4 and #5! (To clue you guys in, twins don’t run in my family - and we were preventing at the time.)

As many of you know, my sweet mama met Jesus almost two weeks ago on January 27th, 2020. As we all sang “Build My Life” around her bedside, (My dad, all six kids, their spouses, all the grandchildren, and even her parents via FaceTime), she left our presence and entered the fullness of the presence of God. With our hands raised and tears in our eyes, we watched her finish her course with joy as we sang. As her last breath left her, she smiled. It’s moment I will never forget. We can only imagine the incredible reward she has now, forever home in glory with the God she loved and served so faithfully.

Happy 2020 from the Blair family! As we start the new decade, we are also sharing some big news! We are moving to Utah as missionaries/ church planters! We’ve been working towards this since God revealed His direction for us in May 2019, and will hopefully be packing up our lives to move by May of this year.

Why Utah? Why the sudden move cross-country?

Long story short: ten years ago, we were starry-eyed newlyweds, ready to pack our few belongings, leave Dothan, and head off to seminary. As it turned out, God had a different school in mind. We felt God had plans for us to be sent somewhere for building His Kingdom, but for the time He was leading us to stay, serve, and grow. So we put down roots, invested in ministry here (specifically at Ridgecrest Baptist Church), grew in faith, and grew a family. It's been a good, sweet, fruitful ten years.

No risk. No reward.

We’re often willing to take many risks in life. Financially we make that investment. Relationally, we reach out to that guy or girl we like. We send that text with our heart attached. We book that plane ticket. Interview for that job. Climb that mountain. Sign that mortgage. We know we might loose out or fall our face in the process of “risking it,” but we know what might be on the other side makes it “worth the jump.” Read a just about any self-help or business book, and you’ll find the message is unanimous: take a risk…you might fail, but get up and do it again until you make it. We know this “no risk, no reward” principle is true in life. We’re willing to take a risk on a lot of things in order to gain whatever it is we desire.

But when is the last time you took a risk in your faith? Jesus is pretty clear about the call to follow Him. It’s all or nothing. It’s complete surrender. And yet, we often act like we can choose the “safe bets” with God. It’s easy to be afraid that if we take that jump, He might have us do something crazy, you might look foolish, or it may involve suffering. Again, Jesus is upfront about the call: yes, it will most assuredly involve suffering, and He will probably take you somewhere you never imagined you’d be. He also uses the “foolish things to shame the wise.” (1 Cor. 1:27) But it’s the most sure risk there is! He says that risking it on Him produces eternal dividends. We can stop taking risks for our own little kingdoms and start taking risks for His. Maybe we forgot which kingdom lasts forever, or that our life here can count for something so much more than just for today or 30 years from now.

At the end of December I felt the urge to step away from the sphere of social media as I entered into the new year. I needed a sabbath for my mind, and to clear out extra clutter and noise. I have mostly found social media a positive place. It can be harnessed for immense good, foster beautiful connections, opens up great entrepreneurial opportunities, and help us reach further than ever before. In fact, you're reading this on a screen right now and I may not even know who you are. That's pretty amazing. I also had an online-based business for 5 years, and was so blessed to connect with people from all over the world. There is much to be gained from our online world, and yet I confess, it is easy to put too much importance on what happens online. I have often struggled with getting on and zoning out, consciously and unconsciously comparing myself to others, or caring too much about what I see and the little numbers on posts. Even if it is mostly positive, those positive things can still negatively affect my heart. I'm no psychologist, but I think a lot of people see themselves negatively affected by so much "connection" via screens and social media. For me personally, it was so refreshing to unplug. I reached for books, instead of scrolling on my phone. I had to ask friends what is going on in their lives, because I didn’t read about it online. I allowed myself to experience a lull during downtime, and found my mind quickly filled the space productively. I went about my life without knowing what everyone else was up to, and it helped me find deeper contentment in my ordinary. It was like a cloud lifted from my mind and my thoughts found more clarity. But even when I stepped back I knew I wouldn't stay away for very long. The nature of our world has changed, and it's all online. For better or worse.