“When the offer comes in, take it and go.”

I looked around the house. There was worship music playing in the background. The kids were watching TV and taking turns jumping off of the couch. It was a completely normal evening at the Thompson house… you know, except for the part where our lives changed forever.

I grabbed my cell phone from the counter, opened the note app, and started to type. I didn’t want to forget those words.

What offer? Where were we going? Were we all going? Was I the only one going? How long would we be gone? A million unanswered questions replayed in my heart. While I had no idea what God meant, I knew that the weight of what He said rested heavily on my heart.

Have you ever heard God speak? I’m always asked after I share a story like this one what God sounds like when He speaks to me. While it’s different for many of us, to me, God’s voice sounds like a thought that isn’t my own.

Just like you are reading these words in your head, God’s voice sounds like I read a sentence rather than had my own thought… Like new information being shared with my heart rather than a thought being produced by my own spirit.

So there it was, heard and then typed out in black pixels on a white screen.

“When the offer comes in, take it and go.”

I didn’t tell Jared right away. I’m not sure why. Maybe because I was nervous or uncertain. Maybe because I didn’t know what God’s words meant yet. Maybe because I was hoping God would speak to Jared too… this time with a few more details.

Jared was working out of town, and when he got back, I would talk with him about what God had said. That was my plan at least. When Jared came home, we would know more. The funny thing is, when Jared came home, we knew MUCH MUCH more.

THE BACKSTORY

Two years ago, I went to a women’s conference at a church in Redding, CA. Lisa Bevere, Christine Caine and some of my other favorite women ministers would be speaking. It was a last minute trip, but it felt significant. Ever had a moment when you knew God was leading you to do something specific? Well, I jumped on a plane (something I had never done alone), and flew across the country to California for the first time.

Just before the last leg of my trip, I found myself at LAX airport with Lisa Bevere. I was super nervous, but I was flying across the country to hear her speak. I thought I could at least muster up some bravery to thank her for her ministry while she was standing ten feet away from me at the gate.

She was busy talking to another woman, and the two of them were leaning against the glass waiting to board our flight. So, being my completely awkward self, I went and leaned up against the glass window as well, with my back to them.

Slowly, I backed toward them, trying to time my spin and leap into their conversation at the best time.

I’m pretty sure that TSA was watching me, wondering why I was being such a creeper. But, it was worth it, because I turned around, stuck out my hand and said, “HI! I’m Becky!” And that’s how Lisa and I became best friends.

Just kidding. God was arranging that meeting, just not the one I had suspected. Because the person God actually wanted me to meet was the woman talking with Lisa.

That’s how I met Michelle. Michelle is a worship leader in Los Angeles, and she and I connected over the next few days of the conference. During those few days in California, God did some major work in my heart and laid out some blueprints that I didn’t even know how to read yet. He planted some things. He spoke some things, and I went home with my heart full and my head spinning.

There wasn’t just something significant about the connection to Michelle, there was something significant about the connection to California. I just couldn’t put my finger on what it was exactly.

THE SHORT VERSION

So, here’s the short version of what happened next.

Michelle and I became friends, and God specifically asked her to be a bridge, connecting me to people in her life.

She invited me to come back to California just to meet some people. And God made a way for that to happen. Just weeks before my first book, Hope Unfolding, launched, I was on a plane headed to Los Angeles.

The crazy part of that trip wasn’t just how God seemed to be in each detail of every meeting. It was in the way I felt as I left.

When I got on the plane to fly home, it felt like I was leaving home rather than going home. California (Los Angeles specifically) kept calling us back.

Over the course of that year (2016) Jared and I traveled back and forth to California multiple times –  in April, May, July, and November. Each time, God was deepening our love for the people and some specific churches here. Each trip revealed another small piece of His plan.

SO BACK TO THE KITCHEN

I cleaned up the rest of dinner and went to bed with God’s words churning over and over in my spirit. The night that Jared came home from working out of town, He arrived late. The kids were already asleep. The house was quiet. I was folding clothes on our bedroom floor.

He walked in, sat on the edge of our bed and said, “I think it’s time for us to move to California.”

I will save these details for another post, but God had spoken to Jared through a message he was listening to while he drove home.

I sat there with wide eyes, and said, “Okay. Let’s do it.”

I told him about the words God had spoken to me in the kitchen a few days before. I told him that we would start praying about the specifics. I told him that I was all in… But I had no idea how hard the next nine months would be.

It’s one thing to trust God in our hearts – it’s another thing all together to trust Him when it comes to taking the first step out of the boat.

SO HOW DID HE DO IT? WHAT WAS THE OFFER? HOW DID HE WORK OUT ALL OF THOSE DETAILS?

We put our house on the market and sold it without any way to pay for life here in LA. We took step after step with only the light we could see right in front of us until we arrived in sunny California (via some really dark days). The miracles the Lord performed in our lives to help us reach this point deserve their own post, and I’ll share them sometime. But for now, we are settling into our new rent house here in a suburb of Los Angeles county. And every day that we are here is a reminder that the One who calls us is faithful to provide.

I’d love to hear from you. Has God every called you to anything that seems outrageous? What did you do? 

We are in LA now. That’s not Louisiana either if you were wondering. No, we moved across the country from the middle of nowhere Oklahoma to Los Angeles county. Talk about a culture shock. We are falling in love with this new life, but there have definitely been a few moments that have made me say, “Yeah, I’m not in Oklahoma anymore.”

Example: Apparently, no one drinks Coke here, and I don’t just mean Coca-Cola either. You Midwesterners know what I mean. Coke can be anything. Right?

Person 1: Want a coke?
Person 2: Yeah, what do you have?
Person 1: Dr. Pepper, Diet Coke and Sprite.
Person 2: I’ll take a Dr. Pepper.

But don’t worry! That conversation will never happen here, BECAUSE SO FAR NO ONE THAT I HAVE MET DRINKS COKE OF ANY KIND! It’s fine. It will all be fine.  P.S. Don’t email me with your, “It’s full of chemicals and sugar and you don’t need to drink it anyway,” messages. I don’t have time for that kind of negativity in my life. And that’s not what this post is about anyway.

No, today I need to tell you how I walked down the street, knocked on a stranger’s door, and asked if our kids could be friends. All of my Oklahoma friends are like, “Yup. Totally normal. Sounds like something we’d do!”

So, here’s what happened. I’ve got three kids. My oldest goes to traditional school. My middle child is homeschooled. And my youngest will start pre-school after Christmas break. Back home, they all had little best friends they played with daily. They had an entire community who knew who they were, where they lived, and everything about their parents. This is what happens when you grow up in a small town.

When we moved, creating community and finding friends for my kids ranked pretty high on my list of to-do’s.

• Find my tooth brush ____X____.
• Unpack my dishes ____X_____.
• Help my kids make friends _________.

You get the idea. I knew it would be easier for my oldest and youngest, both going to traditional school. But, I was concerned for my daughter who is homeschooled. Listen, on the day she moved into this house she said, “What day do I make my friends?” And I was like, “This is so much pressure!”

So, I started to pray hard about it. I asked my friends to pray with me. I asked my family to pray with me. I said, “I need a miracle. I need a friend for Kadence.” I actually said those words out loud to others and to Jesus.

And so we all prayed.

And then here’s what happened. Two days ago, my daughter was playing in her upstairs bedroom with her window open. (This goes on the list of things I love about LA so far. It is opposite of the list that includes things like wildfires less than a mile away. But I digress.)  Anyway, she was playing in her room when all of a sudden, she heard kids playing outside. I walked into her room to find her with her little arms resting on the window ledge and her chin resting on top. She was looking down at two little girls just about her size playing in the next yard over.

I encouraged her to say hello, but she was feeling a little too nervous. So, I jumped over to the window and shouted, “Hi! How old are you girls!?” Then, I realized how creepy it was to be yelling down to kids in their backyard, and so I decided I would just march over and introduce myself to the parents.

And that’s exactly what I did. Their backyard meets our side yard since we live on a cul-de-sac, so I had to go around the block and down the street. I rang the doorbell, and as I stood on the front porch waiting, I suddenly realized that I didn’t really have a plan.

What was I going to say? How was I going to convince these people I wasn’t crazy? I didn’t have a chance to work it all out before a man answered the door… and the first thing out of my mouth was, I’m not crazy! And then I asked if he lived there…

I’m sure he was thinking, “You rang my doorbell, lady. Yes. I live here.”

But, friend! Guess what happened! It all worked out. I met the mom, and after a short explanation, I found out that one of the other neighbors homeschools their little girl as well! Kadence and I were invited to meet up with a group of homeschool girls just her age to play at the park the next day!

And we went! AND KADENCE MADE A FRIEND. And we are going to go back next time! And God answered our prayer!

Do you know what it took though? It took about five minutes of bravery. Everything I had been praying for was on the other side of five brave minutes.

Sometimes, that’s the way God answers our prayers. You know? Sometimes, we’d like Him to deliver the answers to our front door. But sometimes, exactly what we have been asking Him for is on the other side of five minutes of faith and courage.

Look, I don’t know what you need in your life in this moment. I don’t know what brave looks like in your situation. But I know that the Lord lets us borrow His courage. He gives us His strength when we don’t have our own. And when we are just sure that we can’t do it, that it’s too crazy, or too hard, or too awkward, He shows up and walks with us to the other side of it.

For us, the recipe for our miracle was some Oklahoma friendliness, some supernatural faith, and a good Father who uses all of it.

And that? Well, that’s some decent Hope for a Saturday.

And like I always say, Hope is best when shared.

DID YOU EVER HEAR WHY WE MOVED TO LA? YOU CAN READ THE FULL STORY HERE.

BEFORE

AFTER

I love how adding these bamboo roman shades above the windows made the windows look larger.

So much clean natural light! I never want to leave. But I will… every day… when the baby wakes up before I do… #norestforthemommy

I love everything about those Better Home and Gardens lamps!

I found this headboard on Amazon for $205! They shipped it for free, and it came in two days. (Thank you, Prime!) I have no idea why we didn’t redo our room sooner! And, yes! This is a DIY Faux Shiplap wall that we completed ourselves! Read about that here!

Room Details

• Headboard: (Only $205… hello bargain!)
  Pulaski Selma Panel Linen Headboard – Amazon
• Bamboo Roman Shades:
  Levolor Tatami Light Filtering Bamboo Natural Roman Shade – Lowe’s
• End Tables:
  Amazon
• Lamps:
  Amazon
• Curtains:
  IKEA
• Bedding:
  A little bit of everywhere!

My disclaimer is this: In the middle of this project (that I somehow coerced my husband into completing for me), we both wanted to give up. I was pretty convinced that we weren’t going to finish it. But we did, and it only took two days.

I asked my husband once we were finished if he thought it was an easy project, and he said, “Yeah. Absolutely.” And he was being serious. That was not his sentiment at 10:00 at night when we both just wanted it to be over.

I think this project is a little like childbirth. In the middle, there is this moment where you think, “There is no way I can do this. I just can’t. It’s not happening.” And just a few hours after the baby is born and wrapped in a clean blanket snuggled on your chest you think, “That wasn’t so bad.”

Perspective.

So with all of that said… here’s our “Easy” DIY Faux Shiplap wall.

BEFORE

I had already taken down the curtains, and the light was terrible because of the dark walls. That dark rectangle at the head of the bed is a mirror that we chose not to hang above our dresser. We bought this bed nearly two years ago and didn’t have a headboard until two days ago.

The first thing I did to prepare for this project was run to Lowe’s and have them cut 8′ x 4′ sheets of 1/4 in thick birch plywood into 6″ strips. (Full disclosure: I don’t really know what the plywood is called, but it cost about $25 a sheet.) Something to keep in mind when you are deciding how many square feet you will need for your project is the thickness of the saw blade. We lost 1/8 of an inch with every cut, so by the time we got to the last board, it was significantly less than 6 inches wide.

We went ahead and sanded the edges of the boards… and by “we” I mean “I.” The boards were splintered a little when they were cut at the store and even though this is not a perfect wall, the frayed wood wasn’t the look I wanted.

Now for installation info. After we prepped the wall by removing all of the curtains and wall brackets and screws and random nails, we nailed the first board to the top center. We used a stud finder to mark all of the studs first so we knew the boards would be secure.

Why did we start at the top? We knew we would need to cut the final board, and we didn’t want to risk an uneven cut where it would be visible – at the bottom behind the bed made more sense.

Do you need to remove the trim boards? Some tutorials suggest removing the trim boards at the top and bottom and reinstalling them once the faux shiplap boards are in place. We didn’t think it was necessary since our boards were the same thickness as the thinnest part of our trim. Even the bottom board looked great.

Something else I should note. We knew we were going to hang curtains and shades that hid our vertical seams. If your seams are going to be visible, you might consider staggering your boards. Think of how a wood floor is installed. It looks better if none of the seams line up.

So how did we get our spacing just right between our boards? We used a penny as a spacer. One tutorial I read recommended a nickel. We had more pennies than nickles. That made our decision for us.

These are our super low quality night photos. It was late and dark and we were just ready to be done.

The next step the next morning was filling all of the nail holes and vertical seams with wood filler. There is no reason to fill the horizontal seams since you went to all of that effort with the pennies to make the gaps. Ya know?

SO. I didn’t take a photo of it, but once the wood filler dried, I sanded it flat, and then I primed the wall with white KILZ and painted the wall with Valspar high-hide white flat paint.

It only took one coat of each. And I was busy painting the walls, so I didn’t take any pictures of myself painting the wall. But I used a four inch roller and a brush for all of the edges.

The biggest struggle during painting was keeping the paint from filling the seams. A toothpick is just the right size for this job. Just slide it down the seam to free the paint from the gaps.

AFTER

And you’ll have to click here to see the final result. (I hate when blogs do this too… but… master bedroom reveals deserve their own post!)

To celebrate today’s official release, I’m hosting an all day giveaway party for anyone who shares this post on social media today. Prizes will be given every hour with one grand prize winner announced at the end of the day.

Here are some of the wonderful prizes you might win!

•  Creative Journaling Bible
• Whatever is Lovely Coloring Book and Colored Pencils
• $20 Hazel and Olive Gift Card
• 5 signed copies of Hope Unfolding to share with friends
• $25 Target gift card
• A set of ABC Scripture cards & a copy of In This House We Will Giggle
• A set of May designs note cards
• An assortment of cookbooks and a tote bag
• Watch from DE Timepieces
• Coffee travel mug and a $5 Starbucks gift card

Here is how you enter:

1.) Share on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram including why you need hope.

2.) Comment below where you shared.

Winners will be selected every hour from those have commented within that hour. For example, anyone who comments between 8:00 AM – 8:59 AM CST will be entered for the 8 o’clock prize. The giveaway will officially begin at 8 o’clock AM CST.

At the end of the day, one grand prize winner will be selected from everyone who shares and comments below. This grand prize winner will receive one of each of the gifts given away throughout the day!

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY.

If you are interested in purchasing Hope Unfolding, you can learn more here or order at places like Amazon, Lifeway, or Walmart today!

Hope is unfolding and it is beginning with us! I’m so excited to work together to extend its reach!

Winner of the 8 o’clock hour – Laura Tarantine use the contact form to message me and see what you have won!!