At the beginning of a new year everyone’s mind turns thoughtfully to changes they want to make in their lives. So we wanted to start 2017 off with a look at the biggest life-changing decision we ever made—moving across the country to fix up an 1800s farm as a studio for our artistic ventures without knowing a soul in the area. We took a step of faith and followed our dreams. I hope this post inspires you to find out what God has wired you to do with your life and that you take a step towards doing something about it.
As artists, our dream was to trade our survival mode 9-to-5 life in the big city for the simple pleasures of rural life on a historic farm. We are trusting that following our dreams of owning our own little farm will be worth all the hard work and will give us a chance to create artwork in this inspiring pastoral setting. This step of faith hasn’t been easy to take. There have been tough times along our journey, but we recognize that God wired us with these passions and we don’t want to look back on our lives and wish that we had just done it!
My talented little sister wanted to interview me for a video on “Following Your Dreams” for her YouTube channel. I thought it would be the perfect thing to share with you for our New Years post. My sister is quite the budding Diane Sawyer and she asked some very thought provoking questions. Check out the interview:
This year our farmhouse turns 124 years old! We have spent the past 3 years adding a bathroom, fixing major structural issues, and working to restore the interior and exterior back to its original Folk Victorian glory.
We have learned so much along the way: gaining new carpentry skills, tackling design problems, learning to work together, overcoming finical issues, and through it all learning to lean more on the Lord for our strength. As we continue working on Bryarton Farm, we hope this year to finally finish the kitchen! More importantly, our 2017 goal is to live authentically by pursuing the passions God has given us!
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Love your story! Your progress is inspiring! May the Lord continue to give you strength and wisdom and bless the works of your hands! 💝
Thank you for the encouraging words Joanne! God has given us each a purpose for our lives here on earth and I am so glad you are inspired by our story! Isn’t it cool that we are able to reach people with the hope of Jesus Christ through a blog about fixing up our farmhouse? It just goes to show that He knows what He is doing and that no task is too humble to be used for His glory!