The Austin Family

by Michelle Austin

I have been blessed beyond measure to have been married to Steve for over 10 years.  Life is never boring when you live with an extremist. I have learned to embrace this attribute in my husband and am so thankful that not only is he extreme in his love of skiing, wake boarding and sky skiing, but he is even more extreme in his love for Jesus, the ministry God has given him, his wife and his children.  Being best friends with your spouse is truly a gift from the Lord and we thank Him for it daily.

God has been so good to me throughout my life. He allows me to live out many of my dreams such as going to college, getting married, receiving a Masters Degree, having 2 beautiful children and being able to be a stay at home mom. Being at home with the kids ensures that I get to enjoy every first experience that each of our kids have. The most recent being Ellie Grace asking Jesus in her heart June 13, 2007 and her father (Steve) and grandfather (Poppy) getting to baptize her together on Father’s Day at our home church (Crossway Baptist Church) in Murfreesboro. We are blessed to be within driving distance of most of our extended family and even get to attend the church where my Dad pastors regularly.

Our daughter and first born, Ellie Grace, is now 6 years old and is attending Kindergarten at a local school here in Murfreesboro, TN. She looks a lot like me but is so wired just like her Daddy. She is extreme in her emotions and creativity, as well as being a natural born leader. She also loves to ski, wakeboard and ride the air chair with her Daddy.

Eli, our son, is 2 years old and he is Steve’s clone, I think. I’ve never seen a child look so much like their parent, but thank the Lord, he is wired more like me by being easy going, tender hearted and naturally humorous. He has an arm like his daddy too because he can whiz a ball across the yard. Eli also learned to ski last summer.  So this summer will be a blast for us all. God manages to teach us so many lessons while on the lake together.

I’m eagerly anticipating the day that the Lord fulfills the longing in my heart to work side by side with Steve in ministry on a daily basis. Going in to the office together each day will without a doubt be an amazing experience. God has called me to pursue an additional degree in Christian Counseling after Eli begins preschool. 

My prayer and hope for each person that comes in contact with our ministry is that the Lord meets them in such a real, relevant and revolutionary way, that their life is forever changed.

The Lord says,

“Call to me and I will answer you

and tell you great and unsearchable things

you do not know”  (Jeremiah 33:3)