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Andrea Fortenberry

A Lesson Learned From Joanna Gaines

March 22, 2019 By admin

22 Mar

Last week my family and I had the awesome privilege to go to Waco, Texas and visit Magnolia Market and Magnolia Table. As a huge Fixer Upper Fan, I was delighted!

We had a wedding to attend in Galveston over the weekend, so we decided to head to Waco first and then drive to the wedding.

We ate at the restaurant, which was so yummy. They had the best Earl Gray tea I’ve ever had. We went to the market at the silos and bought cupcakes from the bakery. It was so fun.

As I took it all in, one word kept coming to mind: obedience.

All that I saw was fruit of the obedience on the part of Joanna and Chip. The hundreds of people buzzing around the grounds, the dozens of employees setting up for a special event, and the cashiers ringing up purchases and packaging cupcakes at the bakery were all there as a result of obedience.

I don’t know Chip and Jo personally, although I feel like I do from reading their book and watching their show. I love this video of Joanna, she can tell her story better than I can:

God blessed their trust and obedience to step out in faith in so many ways: to close their shop, to do a TV show, and to reopen the shop again. Now they own a restaurant and the silos (the grounds where their store, seed shop, and bakery are located). It is truly a sight to see. They have a magazine and I hear a TV network may be in the books.

I’m not saying that we’ll all receive epic success, a book deal, and a TV show when we trust and obey God. What I do know is that God blesses our obedience in ways that are unique and special to the plans He has for us. He can do immeasurably more than we can ask or think (Ephesians 3:20).

Like Chip and Jo, let’s step out in faith, friends. Let’s trust God in those moments where what He says may not make sense. Let’s trust God in those moments of waiting for what comes next. Let’s allow our faith to be bigger than our fears.

“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”

Hebrews 11:6

What might God be asking you to step out in faith to do? In what area of your life is He asking you to trust Him? I’d love to hear about it!

If you enjoy Chip and Jo and want to read more about their story, which is full of other cool God moments, you can get it here.*

*Affiliate link

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Filed Under: experiencing God, faith, top three

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Comments

  1. Leslie Umphrey says

    January 19, 2020 at 1:52 am

    Hi Andrea – I so enjoyed reading your blog. I’m leaving my email – if this is indeed the way to join! love, Leslie

    • Andrea Fortenberry says

      January 23, 2020 at 9:46 pm

      Thank you! 🙂

Meet Andrea


Hi! I’m Andrea Fortenberry. I write and speak on marriage, motherhood, friendship and faith. I love to help women seek and see God in their everyday life. Being a wife and mother of two gives me lots of material and teaches me oh so many things.

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