Living with Loren

This weekend, my family is experiencing a full circle moment that words can hardly capture.
We are celebrating my brother, Christian Anthony King, being installed as the Pastor of his very own church.
What an honor. What a charge. What a Jeremiah 29:11 moment — a living reminder that God’s plans for us are always at work, even before we recognize them.

Christian came into this world preparing for this very assignment.
Even his name — Christian Anthony King — seemed to prophesy his future:

A priceless follower of Christ, destined to walk in leadership and authority.

As a little boy, he sat proudly in the Deacon’s corner beside our great-grandfather, Lester Ricks, at Second Baptist Church.
If Papa had to pray, Christian prayed.
If Papa led devotion, Christian led right alongside him.

Even at home, Christian was answering an invisible call. He had his own little robe, an old wooden desk, and a Bible — and he would preach his heart out to an imaginary congregation. G.E. Patterson’s sermons and Bobby Jones Gospel were the soundtrack of our childhood.
Church wasn’t something we attended; it was something we lived. We were raised to serve, to participate, and to believe that faith was not passive — it was active, alive, and deeply personal.

Our father pastored.
Our mother served faithfully.
We didn’t just watch — we were being groomed in the Spirit long before we understood what it meant. Christian’s life has been a slow, steady unfolding of divine preparation, and now he stands, fully stepping into his assignment.
Truly, he has been called for such a time as this — just like Esther.

Watching my brother step into his destiny makes me reflect deeply as a mother. I look at my daughter — so small, so full of light and wonder — and I can’t help but ask: What is she being prepared for?

Her name, Gwenaelle Marie Rhyne, carries its own beautiful promise:

Blessed and beloved, destined to flow through life with God’s grace and strength.

That is the actual meaning of her full name.

Right now, I am sowing seeds.
Seeds of loving God wholeheartedly.
Seeds of loving people compassionately.
Seeds of perseverance, resilience, and standing firm in her identity.

Perhaps the tiny moments I witness today — her infectious smile, her willingness to comfort, her bold spirit — are the first glimpses of a mighty purpose that will one day unfold.

This weekend reminds me: God is faithful across generations. He is the God of our great-grandparents, grandparents, our parents, our children — and those yet to come. He prepares us when we least expect it. He shapes destinies through ordinary moments.
He uses childhood play to build Kingdom leaders. And He weaves stories that are bigger, richer, and more beautiful than anything we could orchestrate ourselves.

Christian’s journey is proof. Esther’s story is proof. And I believe, by faith, that my daughter’s life will one day be proof too.

What a beautiful legacy to be a part of.
What a faithful God we serve.

As you look at your own life — and the lives of those you are raising, mentoring, or influencing — I invite you to ask yourself: What seeds are you sowing today that Heaven is preparing to harvest tomorrow?

May we all be found faithful in the small moments, trusting that God is writing a legacy through us, even now.

Until Next Time,

Keep Living!

Love, Loren