There's No Place Like Home

Amanda and I have known each other since we were little girls!
It is such a joy to see her doing what she loves, with OBVIOUS talent, for the Kingdom!
She is beautiful - inside and out - radiating pure JOY.

I remember Christmas caroling together when we were about ten years old.
A few of us were a little timid and awkward with the notes, but not Amanda.
She stood on porch after porch belting out "Joy to the World"... like she meant it.
We were clapping and smiling then.

I am clapping and smiling now, dear friend!
Please give it up for Amanda Vernon!!!

P.S. Don't miss her KICKSTARTER video at the end...
it made me tear up a little! Not gonna lie.
I love seeing dreams become reality.


This week my husband and I, along with our two children, are visiting friends in Indianapolis.
We are on a music tour across the country, so we stay in different cities almost every week.
In the basement with my three-year-old son yesterday, we had this conversation:

Me - “Jamal, where is daddy?”
Jamal - “Daddy’s at home. Wait...where is home? Is this home?”
Me - “Sort of.”

Welcome to life on the road.

Before Indianapolis, we recently toured in Kansas.
Yes, we quoted the Wizard of Oz along the way. I wonder if it inspired Jamal
to ponder the meaning of the phrase, “There’s no place like home.”

His question also made me wonder: how can we achieve the necessary comfort, stability,
and security of home, when we move from place to place so often?

I took time to pray about this dilemma, after our kids went to sleep for the night.
In prayer, my heart found peace and direction.

I need to tell Jamal how home is more than a house that we own. In fact, nowhere
in the entire world do we find our true home. Our ultimate place of rest and comfort
is found in the heart of Christ. This conversation might actually have to wait another
year or two (he’s a smart kid, but 3 in boy-years is still pretty young).
For now I will try my best to show the answer through my actions.

“Come to him, a living stone, rejected by human beings but chosen and precious in the
sight of God, and, like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house...”
- 1 Peter 2:4-5

When our family takes time for prayer as we travel, we witness to our ever-stable
connection with Christ. When we provide a schedule that best suits our family’s needs
(playtime, nap time, healthy meals included), we answer the call to serve, no matter where we are.
And when David and I prioritize our marriage, we point to God's love for us,
the ultimate source of comfort and security.

The title track of my latest album is, “Interior Gaze.”
I wrote the song for David when we were engaged. It is inspired by Blessed John Paul II’s
Theology of the Body. Regarding the moment when Adam and Eve first met, he said,
“They see and know each other with all the peace of the interior gaze...”
Little did I know the lyrics for this song would be so meaningful during our tour.

There’s no need to look away
Turn my eyes or hide my face
Underneath your gaze I know
I’m safe, I’m free, I’m home

I’m safe, I’m free, I’m home

We rented out our house for the year to make this journey.
So we are technically always away from home. At the same time,
we are becoming more than ever a spiritual house for each other.



I pray that Jamal will always be at home within the love of our family:
throughout this year, and long after our touring days are over.

___________________________________________

Want to connect with Amanda?

Listen to her music HERE!

WEB // FACEBOOK // TWITTER // INSTAGRAM