Melissa Brotherton

05/02/2022

Today I finally had a chance to pause and reflect on our time at the retreat in Portland.

Taking over a church restart is overwhelming. We’re faced with the task of trying to care for a congregation that has been through months of transition and uncertainty, doing upkeep and maintenance on a building that needs some love, stewarding a relationship with a Hispanic church leasing our building, and learning how to love and serve the neighborhood God’s called us to.

Josh and I drove to the Oregon coast to spend an hour in silence + solitude. We needed time and space to hear what God is saying to us in the midst of the noise and activity that is swirling around us.
As I walked that beach, I saw so many people stooping to collect rocks. I wondered what it is about the beach that suddenly turns everyone into rock collectors. With a pocket full of my own collection, I knew God was speaking to me.

There are so many rocks.

Yet, I didn’t hesitate when I saw one I wanted. I didn’t inspect every rock to determine if it was one for the collection. There was no stress or anxiety about missing one or picking the wrong one. I knew when I saw it.

We feel strongly that God is asking us right now to be present in the neighborhood around the church and that we will encounter people who will open doors to pockets of people we wouldn’t meet on our own. I have felt at a loss for how to decide who is the right person, which is the important conversation, and where we should start.

There are so many people.

I feel confident now that I’ll know when I see them. Not because of anything I’m doing, but because I know God is leading us and He’ll make sure everyone that needs to be in the collection will be there.

04/29/2022

Eating our way through Portland. Killing it with the selfies. 😎

04/29/2022

This morning Josh woke up and decided we were crazy if we were so close to Tillamook and didn’t go there. So, we drove an hour and a half from Portland to Tillamook.

We love Tillamook.

As we made the drive from Portland through the Tillamook State Forest, my PNW heart thrilled at the moss, the drizzle, the ferns, and the tangles of blackberries covering everything. We spent an hour at the beach in silence + solitude. It was the best.

When we stopped at the creamery, I got grilled cheese and they gave me the best tomato soup I’ve ever had. It had cheddar cheese curds in it, which I wasn’t expecting and never would have thought of. I got so excited about my soup and those yummy, chewy cheddar cheese that I literally flung it everywhere. Then, Josh got us ice cream and I picked out cheese, crackers, meat and mustard for later.

When I walked out with a bag full of cheese and a giant ice cream I was skipping. SKIPPING! Apparently all I need to be happy is drizzle, moss, ocean, cheese curds and ice cream.

Today was the best day in a really long time.

Still bad at selfies 😂😬

04/26/2022

Someone got their first phone! He is so excited and having a grand old time being *very* active in the family group chat.

01/01/2022

Do you have a word of the year? The last couple of years my word hasn’t meant much. If I’m honest, I feel like I got burned out on the concept and was trying to force a plan, inspiration, or focus that wasn’t really there.

This year I thought about just skipping the whole idea. Of course we all know what happens then, right? So, here we go in 2022 with “confidence.”

Not confidence in me, others, the situation, or circumstances. But I am confident in this: He who has begun work in me will be the One to see it through to completion.

My prompting this year feels like it’s the continuation of a journey I’ve been on since those toddler days of, “Sissa do it self.” Stop relying on my own strength, talent, skills, ideas, plans, and determination and instead rest in the secure promise that God is sovereign. He will fight for me as I’m still. He will lead me by day and by night. He will shape and mold me into His image without me having to tell Him what it needs to look like.

My hope for 2022 is that He increases in my life as I decrease.

What’s your word for 2022?

01/01/2022

On my wedding day, I had been Melissa Redmond for 20 years, 10 months and 7 days. Today, I’ve been Melissa Brotherton for 20 years, 10 months and 8 days 🥳💕 I think that’s worth commemorating.

I do love being Mrs. Brotherton 🥰

10/22/2021

Impromptu trip to my favorite Colorado lookout today with the older two kiddos. 🏔

09/24/2021

Just finished up a website design project for Rockwell & Co! 🙌 They’re a consulting business that uses organizational identity and appreciative inquiry to help individuals and organizations become who they are and achieve what they want.

I had so much fun on this one and love how the colors, images and icons turned out. 💚🖤🤍

Our approach starts with who and what you and your organization inherently are. We then determine the next steps based on your unique strengths and circumstances.

09/01/2021

It’s Cora’s turn!! The bravery of this girl makes me so proud. She’s starting a new school and tackling all the “news” and “firsts” that go along with that. She’s got such great things ahead of her!

08/18/2021

🎓 S E N I O R 🎓
▫️Kindergarten in CA
▫️1st-4th in WA
▫️Skipped 2nd grade
▫️Homeschooled for 5th-6th
▫️New school for junior high
▫️New school for high school
▫️Remote learning for 1/2 of sophomore year and 1/2 of junior year
This guy has dealt with a lot in his school career. He’s so smart and so creative and can do ANYTHING he puts his mind to. This summer he’s worked 40 hrs a week at Chick-fil-a, been the main camera operator for the church’s livestream, and helped so much around the house. I’m so proud of him and excited for what’s ahead.

08/18/2021

Classic Silas pose 😂 He’s excited to be the only one in elementary this year because it means he doesn’t need to wait for anyone in the morning or at pickup after school. Apparently Ezra was holding him back. 🤣