Speaking of platforms…
Lisha Epperson is one of the people I’ve met at this table, in this place called JumpingTandem. You should keep your eye on her. She writes thoughtfully and beautifully, from a sincere heart, and I believe she’s right at the beginning of a great adventure, and that God is her jump instructor. The fact that God placed Lisha on this earth is one of his greatest gifts to us. It’s an honor to share this journey on earth with her, at this time in history. She is beautiful.
Early last year, I began to feel as if something new might be on the horizon for The Sunday Community. I couldn’t put my finger on it, and I can’t really explain the feeling, except to say I thought it deserved my attention. Over the months, it became clear to me that I should pass the community on to someone else. It was a slow and gentle revelation, with God kindly and intentionally releasing my hold on the weekly link-up.
I started The Sunday Community three or four years ago, after a beach house retreat with my sisters from (in)courage. Entering that retreat, I’d been toying with the idea of starting a link-up. I was dreaming of a quiet space, where we could gather to share an image and just a few words at the beginning of the week. But I was petrified by the, “What if no one shows up?” questions. I carried those questions with me like a backpack stuffed with all the things I’d never need and, one afternoon, while walking on the beach with a few of those (in)courage women, I spilled all my insecurities out on the sand. And do you know what happened? After I’d shared my thoughts about possibly starting a link-up, and then followed that up with all my reservations about falling flat on my face, Lisa-Jo Baker looked me in my eyes and said, “Deidra! Just do it!”
And that’s how The Sunday Community began. I should probably send Lisa-Jo a thank you note.
Over the years, you have faithfully showed up to link-up your posts at the beginning of the week, and you’ve built a lovely community of creativity and encouragement, and of wisdom and insight. It would be easy for me to put a stake in the ground and hold onto that community and call it mine. But it’s not mine. This community of encouragers is a gift to us all, from a God who loves us, more than we can fathom. And now, it’s clear he’s calling someone else to host the weekly link-up. After a few months of praying, I am passing the link-up to Lisha.
The community will be in good hands, and it will find new wings under Lisha’s care. This Sunday (Mother’s Day) will be the last week for the link-up to be hosted at JumpingTandem, and, after that, you’ll find the link-up at Lisha’s place. She’ll be following God’s lead on this one, and I’m so excited to see how the community develops as she nurtures and inspires you each week.
So, thank you for showing up. Thank you for supporting one another, and for Tweeting and sharing about the community on Facebook. God’s blessings as we move to Lisha’s place. And, thank God for Lisha, one of many bright spots in this world!
Click through and introduce yourself to Lisha! She’s making the announcement today at her place, too!