"you removed my sackcloth...

...and clothed me with joy. That my heart may sing to you and not be silent, O Lord my God I will give you thanks forever." Psalm 30:11-12
I want to record the blessings from the Lord concerning my accident. He protected and provided in so many ways, and I have come to know Him deeper as a Merciful God.
First of all, the girls were not with me in the car. They were with me 2 Sundays ago on the way to church, and Emma rode with me this week ~ but last week I was alone. Praise, praise, praise God.
Another blessing is the car that I wrecked was our 11 year old Honda with 160,000 miles on it. The AC no longer worked, the locks did not work, there was a large crack in the windshield, and it was truly a "let's pray this car lasts through law school" car. Between the 2 cars, much better to total that one, than the one we really depend on. Plus, had I been driving the Tahoe, I likely would have caused more injury to the girl that I hit. Which brings me to the biggest praise of the whole accident. Both she and I, walked away from our cars. I have spent too much time thinking of what I could have done to another person because of my carelessness, and I just praise our Merciful Savior for protecting her. The EMT on the scene checked her and said she was fine, but she went to the ER just to be sure, and they did find a fracture in her hand. I was devastated when I learned I had hurt her, but praising God that it was not spinal or head injuries. Thank you Jesus. (please pray that she heals quickly.) The police officer on the scene mistook me for a witness when I walked up to him, because he thought that the person driving the Honda must be in the ambulance (from looking at the car). God provided supernatural protection that I did not deserve.
One of the most amazing provisions this week, has been a car to borrow. I never thought I would need to borrow a CAR - but here we are, and I believe that this is straight from the Lord (via the Carll family.) Kendall Carll decided he could not pass up a great deal on a new Suburban for his wife, Brandy, expecting baby number 3. So, 2 days before I totaled our car, he bought a new car - which left a Dodge Durango sitting in the family driveway until March 15th, when he will trade in the car he is driving and drive the Durango again. So, they have graciously loaned us the Durango, and told us they do not need it back until March. Is that amazing? The Lord foreknew what I would do in my sinfulness, and already had a provision in place in order to begin the "redeeming process". To say that we are indebted to the Carll's is quite an understatement. When I explained to the girls, where this BEAUTIFUL almost new vehicle came from, Emma said, "What can we give to someone who is letting us use their car? We can't give anything that is equal to a car!" My sentiments exactly. All I have to give, is glory to the Lord because of their generosity. We will all testify to the goodness of God because of this family. When I told Billy about the offer of the car through February, he said, "that is amazing, because I was trying to figure out a way to get us to March when we will likely get a tax refund and be able to combine that with the insurance check and get something a little more dependable." God's timing is miraculous. Just amazes us.
Yet another provision, is that my Sunday school teacher told me Wednesday night, that several families in our class were pitching in, and the deductible was covered. Then my dear sweet childhood friend, Ginger, came over last night with an envelope filled with the amount of my deductible, and said that Her husband wants to cover it for us. Neither Ginger and Scott or my Sunday School friends will take their money back ~ they both say, if the deductible is already covered, then use it for groceries... so, the deductible was covered, twice. I even tried to give money back to a couple at church today who had not contributed (I thought they had). That was awkward - haha - they were like, "um, we don't know what you are talking about, but we would have given if we had known." Could you just die? Oh, the lessons in humility just keep coming. So, my friend, Cynthia, says that is what I get for trying to give people's money back after the Lord has provided. :)
There were a million other provisions. One of my worries on Sunday was, how am I going to get to the grocery store and get meals planned for this week when I can't even get out of bed? Regardless of my depression, my family has to eat. I did not have to cook all week, because people just kept showing up with food.
I remember gripping the wheel in the middle of the accident and just saying, "Help me Jesus" over and over again. And I now realize that He already had. He had gone before me and worked out a car, deductible payment, and even meals for the week. I am so unworthy, but He is merciful.
The sweetest gift of the accident was being able to see Billy walk in such forgiveness and love towards me. I have put us in an even worse financial spot than we already were. Put us in an even greater spot of dependence, and brought a huge burden on him right before finals. He has done nothing but extend grace and kindness. When he arrived at the scene of the accident, I said - "what are we going to do? I have totaled your car" and he said "we will buy a new car." Just like that - as if we could! :) This week he has washed dishes, done laundry, bought flowers - anything he can think of to show me he loves me, regardless of my failures.
I am so thankful to God for my friends, my church, my husband, my family. God is a merciful Savior - and I believe He allowed me to fall in my sinfulness in order to show Himself mighty. The day after the accident, my friend Cara texted me 2 Cor. 12 :9 "My grace is sufficient for you, my power is made perfect in weakness." ~ Now, that is something I can offer the Lord, weakness... Paul goes on to say, "Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me." Praise Jesus.

Accidents Happen

Is what I tell people, until it is me, and I have accidently run a red light totaled our car, and hit another vehicle. And then, accepting God's forgiveness and grace, amidst my own sinfulness and humanity is so difficult. During these 2 years of unemployment, I have never once felt that I deserved any of the provisions that God so miraculously produced through His saints. I struggled and still do, with the humility required to accept God's help when it comes through another person's sacrifice. It is so hard. But, I have come to a place where I realize that as I beg God for help in my prayers, I have no right to tell Him "how" to answer that need. And, I need to accept His provisions, however He offers them. So, I never felt that I deserved any of the provisions, but after Sunday - I felt totally unworthy of even accepting them. Here, I had failed in such a huge way, and I was so ashamed and so guilty. It was all my fault. I felt unworthy of my jobs at the church or even prayers offered on my behalf. I felt totally condemned. I spent 2 days in an absolute "pit" of dispair, struggling under the weight my "works based" faith.
I realize now, that I thought that I could "accept" God's love and provisions because I was "working" so hard. And here, in this place of total and public failure - I have had to come to terms with the grace offered by His death on the cross. Not only can I never add anything to His payment (which I clearly understood), my failures can never subtract from His payment either. If every day, for the rest of my life, I fail as big as I failed when I ran that red light and hit another person, I still stand righteous through Jesus Christ - whose payment on the cross is enough. Paul said, "This righteousness comes from God through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus." Works are simply my response to His faithfulness, not any type of merit system. I would never be found worthy enough, because I am a sinner in need of a Savior. But, by the blood of the Lamb, I can stand worthy and holy and even righteous before the Throne of Grace. "There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus - He, even He is the One who blots out my transgressions and remembers my sins no more - If I confess my sins, He is faithful and just to forgive my sins and cleanse me from all unrighteousness. (Romans 8:1, Isaiah 43:25, 1 John 1:9)
So now, I have a choice. Just as salvation is freely offered to all who will accept it, grace and mercy are feely offered as well. I can choose to live under guilt and shame, or I can accept the Grace paid for by the cross, and walk in freedom. I choose freedom, if for no other reason than to be an example to those around me who are still living under condemnation. I want to accept the grace extended to me, and walk with my head lifted - not because of anything I have done, because of what He has done on the cross. And it is my prayer, that someone else might choose the same through this testimony...

You have put more joy in my heart...

My devotional this morning was about the wedding feast at Cana, the location of the first miracle of Jesus. The wine has run out, the host is about to be embarrassed, and the celebrating will end. My notes in my Bible tell me that to run out of wine broke strong unwritten rules of hospitality, so I assume this would have left quite the black smear on the bride's wedding week. Heartbreaking for a parent.
I love the simplicity of this miracle. I think, "isn't there more important things to do than to provide more refreshments at a wedding feast?" But, to know that Jesus cares about the things that we may feel are not worthy of His attention. I often find myself feeling guilty for going to Him for help, when there are so many others out there with needs greater than mine. And I feel guilty receiving such help from Him, when I know there are others who need it worse than me.
But, Jesus cared about this bride and He cared about her family. So, He took jars used for ceremonial cleansing (legalism) and had them filled up with water, and then turned that water into wine, just so the celebrating did not have to stop, and the family would not be embarrassed. That is a picture of the abundant life that He offers us when we trust in Him. That no request is too insignificant when laid before the Lord, and then offered back to Him for His glory after He meets the need.
And look who gets to be front row witnesses to this first miracle ~ the servants! We do not know who all was aware of the problem. Clearly, Mary, because she was the one who asked Jesus to help, and the servants, because she said to them - "Do whatever He says", and they did ~ and they got to be a part of a miracle. But likely, most of the guests just went right on enjoying the party and never knew there was a problem. They just thought the host saved the best wine for the end. This would have been odd - but whatever!
I want to be those servants - I want to know about the problem, obey when told, "Do whatever He says." And then sit back and watch Him transform my life into abundance, and fill up my empty jars.
For us, the empty jars are financial right now - but couldn't it be empty jars of Joy or Hope or Peace? We all have empty jars in our lives - that Jesus wants to fill up with something better than we could ever imagine. If we would only recognize the need, ask, and then obey.
I will tell you that the Lord has been blessing us lately. Precious friends have been led by Him to help us in the past week in miraculous ways - and I am overwhelmed by the generosity. And every time someone gives to us, I want to say - "No no no, we don't need that! The Lord will provide!" And then I hear God say, "I just did."
It is hard to accept the Lord's provisions however He gives them. It is humbling. But it is His job to decide how He will save us. And it is my job to offer Him glory and praise for the "save".
"You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound." Psalm 4:7

That's how we roll

Well, the other night, Emma decided she would like to go to the roller rink. This was not an option 30 minutes before bedtime, so I appeased her with a roll down the street after dinner. Madeleine decided she would join us, which is never a good thing, as Madeleine is not what you would call an "outdoors woman". I prepared for a fair amount of whining about the heat, but thought, "well this might be a nice after dinner roll in the neighborhood." Boy was I wrong...
Emma got suited up in her roller skates and we went out to the garage to get Madeleine's choice of transportation. It went something like this, "I want to ride the scooter, no the bike, no the scooter, no the tricycle, no the bike..." 15 minutes later Madeleine settled on the tricycle. I was already frustrated, and we had not even made it out of our garage ya'll!
So, we get around to the front of the house, and I notice that Madeleine has a My Little Pony (Pinkie Pie) and the motorized scooter she can ride on. I immediately forsee the future - I will be carrying Pinkie Pie and the remote control scooter during our roll down the street - and I tell Madeleine, "absolutely not". To which she replies to me, "No mom, Pink Pie is going to scoot down the street next to me." So, the child peddaled a tricycle while using the remote control to scoot Pinkie Pie down the street next to her. It was such a sight, I had to take a picture with my phone.

OK, so as you can imagine the remote control My Little Pony scooter is not a high powered vehicle,and we are scooting down the street at a snail's pace and it was about a thousand degrees, and for some reason there was a swarm of mosquitos. I do not know if they had just migrated into the neighborhood - but it was crazy amounts of mosquitos. SO, we are CRAWLING down the street, and being eaten alive.
MEANWHILE, Emma is not interested in inching along, so she is skating ahead and falling down (she is not quite an apt skater yet). I can not stay up with her, and try to catch her each time because I am having to keep pace with Pinkie Pie's motorized scooter. So, Emma is just throwing herself down in a variety of neigbors front yards and having a kicking screaming fit because she is hurt/ frustrated/ tired. But, then she wants to get up and keep trying - oh why does she have to be so determined? SO, on down the street we continue.
Then another problem arises. I start trying to stay a little closer to Emma, because I honestly thought I would lose my mind if I had to keep walking at Pinkie Pie's scooter pace. And when Emma and I are both ahead of Madeleine ~ she gets angry. So, she starts ringing her bell on her tricycle and yelling, "Hear that bell? That means stop!" Of course we both ignore her, which means more bell ringing and more yelling from the peanut gallery. Here is a picture of Emma skating and Madeleine hollering at us from behind.

I did get many sympathetic looks from walkers who have clearly "been there done that", and I have a sneaky suspicion that they would not want to do it again. But not me, I know that these are the moments that I will remember and reflect back on and wish I had just one more hot night with my 5 year old, 6 year old, and Pinkie Pie on her motorized scooter...

My two new jobs

Well, it has been a very busy month for me, as I have started 2 new jobs! I just wanted to type up a post sharing what a blessing both of these jobs are, and how I can already see God's little gifts and goodness through the provision.
I really thought that I would be going back to the school district this year, and when I got no calls (or even returned phone calls) from HR - I just kept thinking, "any day now!"
Well, God had a VERY different plan for my year. And it was nothing that I ever could have dreamed up - that is when you KNOW you are in God's will - "immeasurably more!"
I teach 3 year old preschool on Monday, Wednesday, Friday (which allows me to keep my 80% discount on Madeleine's tuition - Praise the Lord!) and then I am an Associate to our Children's Minister, coordinating Sunday School for 2 and 3 year olds on Sunday's and throughout the rest of the week. So, if I start to sing "Jesus Loves You" and do the hand motions randomly while we are talking - you will know why. I live in 3 year old land these days...
Although it sounds like I am working so much more than last year (2 jobs) ~ it is actually so much more flexible and better for my family! Plus, it has almost doubled my salary! Is God good or what, ya'll?
I have already gotten to go up to Emma's school for the "Pastries with the Principal" - which I never go to do last year because I had to be in my classroom by 8:30 every day. I have had some wonderful afternoons with Madeleine because I leave my preschool class at 12:30 on Mon, Wed, Friday. I have been able to rejoin Bible Study on Thursday mornings, such a source of encouragement and growth, that I missed desperately last year. And I will get to start having lunch with Emma on Thursdays also - which I never got to do last year. On top of all of that, I have also been able to bless another precious family by picking up their daughter from her school a few days a week, so that the mother does not have to drag 2 babies through the car pool line during their nap time. And you know that God has been gracious to you, when He pours so much in your cup that it spills over onto another!!! After being given so much by so many, it is a delight to be able to do a little giving myself!
Plus, I love both of my jobs! I love my children and the parents, I love both of my bosses, I love my new teaching partner - and I love the gals I work with in the children's ministry. I love having Madeleine in our wonderful church preschool. She has my precious friend, Brandi, as her teacher and Madeleine is crazy about her, and having a wonderful year. I mean, God has BLESSED this situation!
I want to share with you the scripture that God gave me on my first day of my new jobs.
"The Lord will bless you in all your harvest and in all the work of your hands, and your joy will be complete." Deut. 16:15
Isn't that something? I felt like that verse was written just for me to read on that day! To be told by the Lord that He will bless all my harvest - my 3 year old harvest in my classroom, my 2 and 3 year old harvest of Sunday School children, and my little harvest here in my own home ~ and that He will bless all the work of my hands, is truly amazing. But in His goodness, He gives even more (abundantly more) and also promises that my joy will be complete. Well, it is complete. I have very busy days - and weariness by the end of the day - but I am so filled with thanksgiving and joy for the Lord.
He is faithful - and His plan is best! Thank you for continuing to pray for my family. Please be encouraged that Heaven hears those prayers, and He is answering them. I am indebted to you each.

The Beach

We just returned home from the beach. My girls had never been to the beach, and I would never have thought we would get to go this year! What an unexpected blessing from God! Our sweet friends, the Darwins, rented a beach house in Surf Side that slept 10 - and had plenty of left over space. So they asked us if we would like to join them on their vacation! Can you believe it? All we had to do was drive down there! Billy could not go because his classes started on Monday, so I just took the girls. We missed him terribly, but I am so glad that they got to experience the ocean - and with their friends, Amelia and Delaney, such fun!


As you can see, we went crabbing (a new experience for me and my girls. We caught about 10 blue crab. Emma even caught one, bless her heart. I thought I was going to have to dive down in that dirty water and stick a crab in her net if she didn't... Everytime she pulled it up empty she would sigh and say "I still haven't caught ONE crab!" in the most pitiful voice. When she finally caught her crab, we were all like - "whew, we can leave now."

Ok - so there is Amy's dad holding Emma's crab.
The girls had a wonderful time digging in the sand and playing in the ocean.


And I soaked up the sound of the waves, the beauty of the horizon, and every sunset or sunrise we had. Just marvelous to be in a place where you can better witness God's majesty.

As I stared out over the ocean, the scripture that kept coming to my mind was "and the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters." Gensis 1:2. And I tried to imagine the Spirit of the Lord hovering over the entire expanse of what I could see. Almost like a blanket covering the surface of the waters. Can you imagine how large He is to do that? I can't. And then of course, I am only able to see a tiny portion of the vastness of the entire ocean. And then of course, this scripture is before God created land so there is His Spirit, hovering over the entire world. All of it, at the same time. Just as right now He hovers over me, and He hovers over you. We are totally covered by His protection and love, regardless of what our circumstances look like. He is able to handle any heartache, any problem, any sin. He is big enough.
I think I needed to see the ocean this summer to be reminded of the hugeness of the God I serve. Thank you Darwins, thank you Lord.

A note of gratitude

"For you are a people, holy to the Lord your God and the Lord has chosen you to be a people for His treasured possession, out of all the people who are on the face of the earth." Deuteronomy 14:12
My Summer Bible Study group just finished, One In A Million by Priscilla Shirer. It was awesome. I had the great privilege of facilitating the group. It was a simple job - because Priscilla Shirer did all the teaching, I just led our discussion. There was not a week that I was not inspired and encouraged by the passion for the Lord that these young women exhibited. It was just an incredible study with an incredible group of women. I want everyone to know how grateful I am for your transparency and honesty in our discussions. The Lord was glorified and honored every single week, and it was a Holy place. Thank you.
But mostly, I need to thank you, and thank the Lord, for the gift that you gave me on the last week. The envelope contained $440 in cash. I am sorry that I was so overcome by my emotions, and I hope I did not seem ungrateful. Accepting money, when you need it, is very difficult. I don't know why that is. I suppose it has something to do with knowing that you can not reciprocate the gift you are receiving. As long, as I can give something of equal value back to the giver, I am very comfortable receiving. But, when I know that I have nothing of this value to give in return, it is so humbling, and so hard. Yet, it is at the core of the Christian faith. Receiving a gift of forgiveness and eternal life through a crucified Savior, while we were still His enemies. No amount of good works could ever reciprocate. The only option is to accept the gift with gratitude and live in such a way that we pass the gift on to as many hurting people as we possibly can. That we do not allow one day to go by without meditating for a moment on how unworthy we are, yet He made us "His treasured possession" anyway. Thank you Jesus. So, what I am learning, during this season of receiving is really a spiritual discipline. It is a laying down of my pride, and accepting the Lord's provisions however He might give them, be it through a job for my husband and thereby a paycheck - or be it through the sacrifice of my friends in a gift.
I know that any amount given was a sacrifice, and I pray that the Lord returns the blessing to you and your family seven fold.

So, the girls have not been to the dentist since last year's bible study gave a gift that allowed me to take them. Well, I called the dentist, and what do you know - there is a cancellation for tomorrow for 2 appointments. After 10% is given back to the Lord, $344 will cover the girls appointments in the morning. And barring any cavities or unexpected dental work - we should have $52 dollars left over! Which would take care of a new inhaler for Emma, with her asthma. So, we will see about how the appointment goes! This is such a praise because I am having a bit of a panic attack about Emma's big girl teeth.

If you notice, those big girl teeth are coming in BEHIND her baby teeth, and the baby teeth do not appear to be going anywhere! So, it is high time for Dr. Plunk to take a peek, and maybe a "pull"?? None the less, this sweet face

will soon look different.
Thank you, my sweet sisters in Christ! I will miss seeing you each Monday!

Taste and see that the Lord is good

Let me first start by saying that I just ate the most delicious arugula salad. I do not know that I have ever had an arugula salad before! But today my friend, Julia, called to let me know that the produce co-op that several of my Sunday School friends have organized, had extra produce this week, and they wanted to bless us with the extra. She said in her message, that she delivered something on my porch, from the group, and to make sure I put it in the fridge when I got home from work. I was fully expecting to find a pineapple or something - but what I discovered instead was a whole box of wonderful fruits and vegetables! I wish I had taken a picture - it was so beautiful! There were 2 heads of red leaf lettuce, one head of bib lettuce, 4 ear of corn, 6 peaches, 6 nectarines, a bag of grapes, a container of blueberries, a mango, a red onion, 5 Roma tomatoes, and ARUGULA! I could not believe it! I had no idea what the arugula was, so I had to call Julia and ask her - and she taught me how to make a salad with that arugula and one of those tomatoes - and it was so delicious. I just wanted to share with you all how God continues to encourage me and bless me through my friends. I am just overwhelmed with their thoughtfulness. All of these fruits and veggies would have been gobbled up in their own homes - but they gave them to us instead. Enjoying the wonderful "fruits" of God's creation, while being blessed by the "fruits of His righteousness" displayed in the lives of my friends. Now, that is really something.
"Taste and see that the Lord is good, blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him." Psalm 34:7

On another note, I took Madeleine to the pool this evening (Emma didn't want to go, so stayed home with Billy) - and this is what we saw in our living room when we got home.

Billy had dug an old tent of ours out of the garage, and put it up in the family room for Emma. After they had a bath, he decided it was movie night, popped some popcorn for them, and they sat in the tent and watched a movie.



When the movie was over, they convinced him to let them sleep in the thing, so he drug it into the playroom - and that is where they are sleeping now! Is that the best? Oh, how I love summer! More time with my girls - and more time for silly things like staying up late, and not getting a great night sleep because we are on the floor in the playroom! But, there is no school tomorrow - so who cares! These are the most joyous days of my life - I am convinced. And I will not allow Satan to steal them away from me with worry! love you all!

The Lord is with you, Mighty Warrior

Welllllllllll, it has been a while since I blogged! OK, so we have air conditioning ~ a major plus when it is 105. Thank you for your prayers ~ we were able to get cool for a mere 2K, instead of the originally quoted 6K. So, we are grateful!!!
Now - on to this awesome scripture that I have been wanting to share with you from the book of Judges chapter 6. Here, we meet Gideon. And when we meet him, the Israelites had been up to some major evil for about 7 years - so the Lord decides to do some disciplining - and hands them over to the Midianites. Now, the Midianites were so oppresive that the Israelites have been chased up into the mountains to live. They have lost their crops, their land, their animals and they are literally hiding in caves by the time they cry out to the Lord for help. And in the Lord's goodness and mercy - he sends Gideon as a judge. Gideon, who comes from the weakest clan in the tribe of Manasseh, and he is the LEAST in his family. (a theme we see often in the Bible - the Lord calling the unlikely) And when we meet Gideon, he is threshing wheat in a winepress. Typically, you would thresh wheat out in a field where the wind can blow away the chaff and just leave the grain. However, Gideon would have been a target for bands of raiders who were over running the land - so he was hiding from the Midianites, threshing wheat in a winepress. A sorry situation...
When along comes an angel of the Lord and says
"The Lord is with you, Mighty Warrior" Judges 6:12. I mean that makes me giggle. He is hiding in a winepress, so afraid he can not even thresh wheat out in a field - and this angel calls him, "Mighty Warrior". But, then - isn't that awesome??? The Lord did not see who Gideon was at that moment - he saw who Gideon would be, and that was a mighty warrior indeed! Read on through Judges - and Gideon TAKES CARE of the Midianites - that is for sure! How many of us are hiding in a winepress pit feeling like our situation is so oppresive that we struggle with basic functions of living. Everything seems harder because of these circumstances. And God meets us there, and says to us, "The Lord is with you, Mighty Warrior." He is not concerned with your low rank, your incompetancy, your pitiful situation. See because further on, in Judges 6:34 - it says, "Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon..." Well, there you go - that's all that was needed. You and I - we are mighty warriors, because we have the Spirit of Lord upon us through the gift of the Holy Spirit - by way of Jesus Christ our Savior. There is no telling what God will accomplish through us, even when we find ourselves oppressed and hiding out. God is greater ~ and the Lord is with YOU, mighty warrior!

Do not be dismayed

"Don't be afraid, for I am with you. Do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my victorious right hand." Isaiah 41:10
If ever there was a time in this process that I might become a bit "dismayed" - this could be it! We have had a doozie of a week! I mean, it has just been one VERY frustrating and inconvenient thing after another, and I just can not remember a time in the past year and a half that so much has happened all at once. Just to give you a very dim idea, I am blogging from my parent's house because our air conditioner has now gone out - at midnight, on the Fourth of July. Now, what are the odds of that? Or the odds of the Fourth of July being on a Sunday this year, keeping businesses closed on Monday - so that we sit in the heat for one extra day. I mean, really? Not to mention, this is the LAST thing we need to be spending money on... And I will not go into details as to the other delightful events that prefaced this several thousand dollar problem - but this truly is the icing on our miserable cake! I assure you, this is not a slice of cake that would tempt ANYONE to break their diet!!!!
Oh, but isn't God faithful in giving me this scripture tonight?
I am with you, I will strengthen you, I will uphold you - with what? Oh yeah, His VICTORIOUS right hand. That's right, Satan can try to discourage and defeat, but victory belongs to the Lord, and I am held up by His hand. Amazing.
God keeps reminding me that without these trying situations, I would just not get to fully experience the peace and joy of knowing that He is with me. I feel certain that I would allow our circumstances to hold me up and calm my fears, instead of the Only One who really can! I do not want a false peace, a false sense of security, a false joy, that comes from trusting in our surroundings. I want Jesus. I want victory. And after the week we have had of discouragement from Satan, I just know that God is about to do something awesome. Get ready for God to move mountains in our lives! There are spiritual battles being waged over our peace, joy and relationship with Jesus. But as for me, I will not be dismayed tonight!
Pray that the AC gets fixed as quickly and inexpensively as possible! love ya'll!

watching the wind

"Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!" Matt. 14:29-30

I have noticed a little wind around me this week, and have been very tempted to keep my eye on it, thereby sinking. In this passage, Peter exhibits such amazing faith by climbing out of a boat, on rocky waters, to get to Jesus. And it reminds me that, when we begin to step out in faith, the wind will pick up around us. If the storm were not already frightening enough, Satan will increase it's force if he sees it is not keeping you "in your boat".
The "wave" in our life this week, to which I am referring, is that we found out that Billy will not be an interview candidate for the job that we were praying about. Billy feels that it is probably because he is in law school, and they are looking for a "lifer", not a 3-5 yearer... We know that there must be another job out there, but it is tempting to become discouraged, to look at that measly little wave, and start to sink.
However, that is not what Billy is doing! I have to tell you this, because I am so proud of him. Today, Billy handed me a check for $52, and asked me to put it in our tithe envelope. I asked what it was from, and he told me he received a $520 unemployment check. I am so amazed that he has the faith to tithe from unemployment! We need that $52 - more than you know! So, to see Billy give 10% of the Lord's back to Him, even when we really need every dime, is such a faith testimony to me! Billy knows who provided the money, and he knows that God is able to provide more, and even secure him a job. Giving what we owe to the Lord is worth it!! God is able to redeem $52 and SO much more! I am not sure that Billy had that kind of faith 6 months. So, I am already seeing the redemptive, life changing work that God is doing in our hearts and in our lives through this difficult time, and I should not be at all surprised that the wind is "picking up". Trying to keep my eyes on Jesus - thank you for your prayers!

My sweet sister

Sweet little sister, Corinna, came in town, with her 2 boys in tow, for Father's Day.
I had told her that we could no longer afford the ballet camp that I had placed the girls in on deposit. We had planned on starting ballet fall semester of 2008, I had ordered the girls leotards and ballet shoes from "discount dance", and we were set - when we found out that Billy would be losing his job. Ballet had to go. Fast forward a year and a half, and Billy was employed in his new job, and although I did not think we could undertake the bill of monthly ballet lessons, I did think we could handle the one time fee of a week long ballet "camp". So, I paid the deposit and enrolled the girls, and then we found out Billy was losing his job again. God bless him. So, again, I was planning to tell the girls (who have been asking to take lessons all year) that we would not be doing ballet. In the grand scheme of things - not that big of a deal (unless you are 4 or 6). So, Aunt Corinna would not hear of it, and paid the bill for the girls to do ballet camp. What a sister! Am I blessed or what? I attached some pictures. That is my sister, holding Will, with Emma and Madeleine at the "recital" on the last day of camp. That little camp made their whole summer. It turned out that our friends, Amelia and Delaney, were enrolled in the same week - and it was just such a special time! We feel so blessed. Billy was able to come to the recital at the end (hey, there's a perk to not having a job!) and the girls were just so proud of themselves.
They had so much fun with their cousins in town! We got out the slip and slide, but every party has a pooper, and this time it was Will. Literally. Party's over when someone poops in the slip and slide... But that fat little munchkin body is just too cute, so we forgave him right away.
Although times seem a little tough right now, I look at the family and friends that God has surrounded me with - and My Word, who am I to have a complaint?

Lift up the withered hand

Thank you for continuing to pray for us. I want you to know that I have had "the peace that transcends understanding" and it is because of your prayers. Things are very scary right now, but I just have this peace that God is moving and working out His plan, and it is going to be good!!!! We also have seen such evidence of His help, that it is impossible not to trust Him. We found out about a great job through a precious friend, Michelle. Billy emailed his resume and the lady (who owns a placement agency), called him right away, and asked him to come in the next day. He met with her Wednesday, and she was very impressed with his resume. He needed that encouragment! She said that there would be a lot of interviews for this particular job, and the next person in line was out of town until this week - so we are hoping to hear back from them for another interview. Please pray alongside us, for that job. However, even if this job does not work out - he had a great meeting with her and maybe she can place him in another! Also, about a month ago, Billy met a man for lunch who had interest in purchasing Senior Living real estate. Turns out he sits on a board with Pike, our pastor. When they figured out the connection, this man told Pike how impressed he was with Billy after meeting with him. So Pike called him last week, and let him know that Billy was now looking for a new job in case he had work for him. Turns out he does. They met last week for lunch, and he has some contract projects that Billy can do for him while he continues to look for a full time job. Obviously, we need Billy to quickly get a full time job - but we can see God encouraging us, and we want to give Him glory!
I came across two scriptures that encourage me as I lift up my "withered hand" for all to see. It is difficult to be in a place of need - and for everyone to know it. It is so tempting to just fake it, and act like everything is great - and I am fine, but healing and ministry do not happen when we fake it, now do they?
The first verse is when Jesus healed a man on the Sabbath. Jesus sees this man with a withered hand, and He says to him,
"Lift up your hand" Luke 6:10 "so the man held out his hand, and it was restored" 6:11
Isn't that something? All He asked of the man, was that he lift up his withered hand. Don't you bet that man had spent a lifetime hiding that hand? Training himself to use his good hand and keep the withered hand out of of sight, lest people be disgusted or worse yet, judge him. But that is all Jesus required, that he lift it up to Him, and He healed the infirmity. He did not require a certain amount of faith, or tell him to pray harder about that hand. He just said - lift it up to me and I will heal it. Lift up those withered hands to Jesus, and He will redeem them. There is great blessing in the withered offerings.
The inspired writer of Hebrews says this
"Lift up the hands that hang down, and the feeble knees. And make straight the paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way, but rather - let it be healed." Hebrews 12:12-13
"be turned away" is "disloacted" or "fallen" in other translations. In other words, we can lift up our withered hands and feeble knees for healing by Jesus, or we can continue to hide them and they will stay useless. I choose healing. I choose to lift high my withered hands, and I am excited to see what God will accomplish through my weakness.

He gently leads those who have young.

"He tends His flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in His arms and carries them close to His heart; He gently leads those who have young." Isaiah 40:11
My Sunday school teacher, Mike, led us to this scripture this morning, and it was exactly what I needed. First, a reminder that God has gathered me up in His arms, and is carrying me close to His heart. Oh, what a wonderful visual that is for us! But even more importantly, I needed to be reminded that He gently leads those who have young. He knows that financial insecurity and decisions about going back to work are all more difficult when you have young ones. He is not pushing me and hurrying me along, as I grow wearier and wearier. He is gently leading me, if for no other reason than because my young can not keep up. He is protecting all of us, we are under His care. This is one of those "write it down and put it to memory" scriptures for me. When Satan tempts me to fear about what will happen to Madeleine, and where she would go all day if I returned to the school district - I need to speak over myself that God has gathered us up in His arms, holds us close to His heart, and leads us even more gently because Madeleine is young. Beautiful, what a God we serve.
On another note, but still about "my young" - I have to share what sweet Emma said today in church. Now, before I start making her out to be some perfect child - let me assure you that she is not... Even today, after we had a wonderful worship time at church, I came home and refereed so many arguments (mostly that she instigated) between she and her sister that when I was on my walk tonight, I broke up a crow fight and did not think twice about it. I was talking on the phone with my friend Jennifer, when 2 big crows started going at it right in front of me. Since this has just been the nature of my day, I broke up the tussle and went right on with my story. My friend, laughing, interrupted me and said - "Did you just yell "BIRDS, BIRDS!!! Stop fighting!" Why, yes I did, and it felt totally normal to me! BUT, all that naughtiness aside, today at the end of worship service, a pastor stood to make announcements about some upcoming events. One of the things he said went something like, "If you are burdened to pray for a hurting world and the prayer requests of our church members, we would love to have you pray with us at our weekly 7:00 am prayer meetings" And Emma turned to me and fervently said, "I want to do that!" Oh, she fills my heart! (Even if she fights with her sister - maybe we should get ourselves out of bed at 7:00 am tomorrow and pray about that) Attached is a picture of them at church, not fighting. They are my greatest blessing, and God leads me gently on their account.

All things for my good...

As I have been reading back through the Exodus and entrance to the Promised Land. I saw something that I had not considered before. We know that of the original 2 million or so adult Israelites who left Egypt, only 2 of them actually entered the Promised Land, Caleb and Joshua. Because of their disbelief (mostly involving fear of some giants), the others were told by the Lord that they would not be allowed to enter, and would spend 40 years in the desert until all of their generation had died. So, an 11 day journey from Egypt to Canaan, became 40 years.
I had always looked at this event as some pretty harsh discipline from the Lord. A sort of "I am done! - that is it! - that was the LAST straw!" type moment. The sort that I have with my children weekly (or daily). "That is it, you are NOT going to the birthday party!" could have been overheard at my house today...
Just a fed up God. But, when I read the story this time, I noticed something else. I noticed all of the laws that God laid out for them when they entered the land and lived in houses they did not build, drank from wells they did not dig, ate from vineyards they did not plant (Deut. 6:11) (These are some serious blessings, and comforts!) The Lord goes on to say how they are to respond to these blessings - and not forget that they are all gifts from the Lord, but if they do forget and turn to other gods, they will be destroyed. (Deut. 9) God begs them not to become complacent or forgetful in their blessings, just as He begs the same of us today. He knew that if He allowed that original generation into the Promised Land, they would self-destruct. He knew their hearts, and He knew they could not handle that amount of blessing. They even said themselves, that they did not want it, when they complained to Moses in Numbers 14:1-2, and asked him why they could not go back to Egypt. There they were, on the edge of the Promised Land, and they were begging for slavery in Egypt. Isn't that just like me? I don't even know what Promised Land I am begging God to spare me from, because I am so afraid of the "giants" in the future. I would take bondage from a "known" past over freedom in an "unknown" future.
But, look at the graciousness of God. He does not just say "Fine, go back to Egypt - be my guest." He does not even hand the Promised Land to another people. He tells them that He will give the Promised Land to their children. Isn't that beautiful? And now, because of all that their children have witnessed (including their parents mistakes), they will be fruitful, blessed and prosper in this land. What a good God we serve, that even when He tells us "no", He could be saving us from something that might have caused us to self-destruct, and He loves us (and our children) too much to allow that. All things, for my good (Romans 8:28)

Not victims

"As children of a Sovereign God, we are never victims of our circumstances" Charles Stanley
Regardless of what you may be walking through right now, as a child of a Sovereign God, you are not a victim of your circumstances. Whether it was a heartbreaking situation He allowed you to enter into through your own sin, the sin of another, or just because we live in a fallen world ~ He allowed it, and He is in control. This was not a surprise to Him, it was perfectly orchestrated for my good, that I might be conformed to the likeness of Christ. Romans 8:28-29.
When I walk through an especially difficult time, I struggle with the fact that God could stop all this. He sees my pain and heartbreak, and He could rescue me, but many times He doesn't. Some people get an image of a smaller child being bullied by a larger child, while an adult stands watching apathetically. Or a scientist refusing to share the antidote that could cure dying people from a certain illness. I on the other hand, struggle with seeing a different false perception of God. I think that He must be watching me cry over my circumstances and think to Himself, "seriously, Lisetta - you are going to cry over this? Whaa Whaa. Have you turned on the news lately? Have you seen the mothers in other parts of the world who are burying their children because they can not give them clean water?" And then shaking His head at me in disappointment for my lack of faith and gratitude. Both of these views of God are lies from the enemy of our souls. He is not disappointed with us when we pour our hearts and grief out to Him. He does not expect us to be stronger. He knows we are dust. When Jesus reached Mary and Martha after they had buried their brother, Lazarus, (too late - they had called for him when he was sick), Mary falls at Jesus' feet and says "Lord, if you had been here - my brother would not have died." John 11:32. Jesus is just about to raise this man from the dead - and He knows that He has the power over life and death. He does not chastise Mary and say "OK - you know I am Lord, if you would just get off the floor and have a little faith in me - I am about to raise your brother from the dead." NO!!!! The Bible tells us that Jesus cried with her - and I bet you that He got down on the floor with her too! Our Sovereign God, who knows how He is just about to redeem and rescue us - still meets us in our grief and cries with us. He also prays for us! (Hebrews 7:25) He is not watching apathetically. He is on the move in your life. And if we can just hold on, and keep our eyes on Him, even when they are blinded by tears - we will see His greater purpose and His redemption and someday we will understand it all. Maybe even on this side of Heaven. Once the blinders from this earth have been removed, everything will make sense. He is working on your behalf - He is praying for you - and He is weeping with you - He loves you, desperately.

A little background... (or maybe a lot:)

I thought I should give a little background, in case people stumble upon this blog who do not know my story. In July of 2008, Billy decided to return to school, law school. He would work during the day and attend school at night, for 4 years to get his degree. After an initial freak out, God gave me a very clear and direct peace that law school was His plan for Billy at this time. I had no idea then, how I would need that assurance later, when things became difficult. For two years, I have clung to three very clear promises, attached to scripture, that God handed me back in July of 2008. I wrote them down in a little red journal.
One month later, the recession hit and Billy was informed that his position would be eliminated at work. They graciously gave him 2 months notice, which became 4 - and he was able to stay on through the end of the year. I just knew that God would provide a job in that time, and we would never deal with unemployment, but I decided to take a job at a preschool just in case. I thought it would, at the very least, decrease our preschool bill and take one burden off of Billy's shoulders. I pulled Emma out of the little school in our neighborhood, because they were fully staffed, and enrolled her and Madeleine at our church program because they could put me to work. I dropped out of MOPS and then Bible study, and worked the childcare instead. I will tell you, that I was having a pretty decent pity party for myself at first, going back to work, pulling Emma out of her school, putting Madeleine in school, dropping out of favorite activities to work child care. I look back and realize how ridiculous I was. It was a wonderful perfect situation, and we were all in the best place possible ~ our sweet church, Park Cities Baptist. But, it would not be until February of 2010 that Billy would work again. It was such a hard year, filled with so many frightening times of financial insecurity. We were cared for by our family, friends, our church, and our Sunday School class, and I could never fully express my gratitude to them or to God for His provisions - but we were so ready to not need help so desperately. Billy just wanted a job!
So, God did answer the prayers of so many people, and He provided a job for Billy in February. After 13 very long and hard months of Billy being unemployed, I truly felt like my feet were on solid ground for the first time in over a year. I felt like I could breathe again. But, that is the problem when you trust in circumstances - they let you down everytime. The only Rock that we stand on is the Lord Almighty, and any other place that we begin to seek security will disappoint. So, as per my first entry posted on this blog - the job did not last. It was not the answer that we sought. Now, it did see us through 3 months to steadier ground, and I may never know what it protected us from, but it is not the final answer to our prayer of work for Billy. We are disappointed and confused. We praised Him so mightily and gave Him such glory when He provided this job. But, we do not yet know what He has prepared for us, or what His purposes are. We just know, that He does know.
Now, God has called me to the possibility of return to teaching full time. I had hoped to be able to wait until Madeleine was in Kindergarten, but that may not be His plan. I have filled out my applications, and now I wait. I am praying that God allows me to stay at Park Cities. I do not want to leave the church preschool that I love so dearly, and I do not want to put Madeleine in care for 10 hours a day, but I will not throw another pity party for myself if I have to (ok, maybe I will, but I will be VERY convicted about it:) Because God has proven to me year after year, that if I will lay my will down and surrender to His plan for my life, it will be better than what I could have planned for ~ and that is a promise in the Word of God! "Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us." Eph. 3:20 But, even if returning to the school district in the Fall is what He calls me to, the Summer looks a little like a desert to me, and I am tempted to fear.
I was reading in Deutoronomy in August of 2008 when Billy found out he was losing his job. And it was there in Deuteronomy that God sustained me. Here I am a year and a half later - and I am in Deuteronomy again, and the very same scriptures are holding my head above water. It is not a coincidence - it is the Risen Lord reminding me again that He is Sovereign over all of this and He foreknew my problems and worries. He has provided all I need to walk through it ~ His Word and Himself.
"Do not be terrified, do not be afraid of them. The Lord is your God who goes before you, he will fight for you as he did in Egypt, before your very eyes and in the desert. There you saw, how the Lord your God carried you, as a Father carries His son all the way you went until you reached this place." Deut. 1:29-31 And that is exactly what He did last year - He carried me, as a father carries his daughter, all the way I went until I reached this place, and "this place" for me, seems to be back in His arms. Nowhere else I would rather be.

When I grow old, I shall live with Emma

The girls and I all have had the stomach virus today, and through this lovely experience I have solidified my decision that Emma will be the child who gets to house me when I grow old.
Let me begin by asking why in the world it is that children can get the very same virus an adult gets, and still be able to run around the house like wild people feeling great in between puking sessions, while the adult feels like death for at least a full 24 hours with no relief?
Long after I had finished cleaning up after them and they were totally recovered, I lay on the bathroom floor in a ball wishing for my mother, when Emma came in. She sat down on the floor next to me and rubbed my back and told me how sorry she was that I was sick, and wondered aloud how her father had been so fortunate as to miss out on this illness. A thought not far from my own mind... Sweet Emma sat there with me for a good 20 minutes while I prayed silently not to get sick. Madeleine came by and shrieked "MAMA" and then ran off laughing. This is why I have decided to live with Emma. Someday when she is old enough, she will read this blog and probably regret her kindness, since it resulted in her having to care for me in my old age - but we will cross that bridge when we come to it.
Later, when I was able to peel myself up off the floor and crawl to the bed, she clapped her hands and said - "I prayed for you!" And it had resulted in me not getting sick. Little angel.
I must say, in defense of Madeleine she did come to my bed and announce that she would give me a "Hair cut". Now before you fall over from shock that I would allow that - even in my present state - please know that a "Hair cut" means getting my makeup brushes out and pretending to put eye shadow and blush on me and spraying me with body spritzer. It may have absolutely nothing to do with my hair... So, I hear her rummaging in my bathroom cabinets and I hear her say - "I found new brushes." But I am too sick to care. And then I realized that she found brushes in actual makeup compacts and is actually putting quite a bit of makeup on my face. This is a service I could have lived without, but she was trying to help me feel (if not look) a little better. My compacts on the other hand do not look good at all. They look to have been dug out at the hands of a 4 year old, while her mother lay in bed too sick to move.
I have posted a picture of the three of us on healthier days ~ Mother's Day. Yes, I am wearing a paper plate on my head, and yes, I wore it to church. Madeleine made that Mother's Day Bonnet herself and just look how she coordinated all the green. She will try her best to keep me attractive, and Emma will rub my back when I am sick. Even on a day like today, I know that I could not be more blessed.

An end to Kindergarten...

As I still sit trying to wrap my head around the fact that Emma is in Kindergarten, Kindergarten ends... And I can not for the life of me figure out where the year went. The picture of her with Billy is from yesterday (feels like) when we walked her into the school her first day of Kindergarten. I was so fearful and worried. I wanted so badly to take her home with us when we left that morning. Walking out of that school without her was very hard. And you know what, many of my fears and more were realized this year. Things that I did not even think to worry about, like that she would be pulled out of her class after a month of school and placed with 18 children who had failed to get registered that year. Now, who would have thought to worry about that? Not even ME! The night that I realized that was a possibility, the Lord gave me,
"It is the Lord who goes before her, He will be with her; He will not leave her or forsake her. Do not fear or be dismayed." Deuteronomy 3:18 Ultimately, she is His. I just get to spend a lot of time with her ~ thank you Jesus! And He knows the plan that He has for her life. At the end of the year, I will not say that everything worked out peachy. It was a hard and at times disappointing year, but there was such evidence of God in it, and because of that ~ good. Just look at the picture of her today with Miss Jackman, her teacher. As I wrote Miss Jackman's thank you note - I was just overcome with the Lord's goodness in placing Emma with her. A strong Believer, mission oriented, compassionate, kind. God's plan was good - I should never have wasted any time being fearful or dismayed. And this is a very good reminder for me today, as we face other uncertainties. He speaks this same truth - "I have gone before you, I will be with you" - His omnipresence says He is in tomorrow, and He is here with me tonight - I have nothing to fear. I have just faced the reality again of how fast time with these precious children passes, and I will not waste it being dismayed. "For our heart is glad in Him, because we trust in His Holy name." Psalm 33:21 So, even an end to Kindergarten can come with a glad heart and joyful expectation of what wonderful happenings await us!

God bless Job...

And He did, He gave him twice as much as he had before. (Job 42:10) If ever there was a man who had a right to ask why, it was Job. Blameless, upright, evil-shunning, God-fearing Job was allowed by God to have everything taken from him by Satan. His children, his servents, his wealth, his health ~ gone. And then along come his friends to help him understand "why" ~ and it was not that helpful. I think we have probably all been in a situation where we felt the judgement of others. Well-intentioned people try to make sense of a crisis, and find a suitable explanation. Sometimes people just want to make sense of things, and sometimes it is a way of trying to prevent that same crisis from happening to them - if they can explain it and find a cause - then they can keep history from repeating itself in their own lives. And we have probably all done the same analyzing over another person's grief. But I must say, that Billy and I marvel at our friends this past week. Simply put, we have the most amazing friends. Nobody has sat and counseled me as Job's friends did, on the probable causes of our situation. Every friend of mine has shook her head in disbelief and rallied behind us in prayer. We are immeasuably blessed - and I know that it is rare. It is tempting to want to ask "why" - but God never told Job "why" - He told him "Who" - as in "Who I Am". He spoke to Job and made himself known to Job, and at the end, Job said - "My ears had heard of you before - but now my eyes have SEEN you." 42:4 - in other words, now I know you ~ way better than knowing why! My friends don't look for problems - they look for God. They look for what He is working out, where He is moving, what His purposes are in our lives. My friends point us to Jesus, and remind us that there are things in this life that I will not understand - but I am safe in the Savior's arms and He knows what He is doing. I have nothing to fear.
God bless Job. His is one of the oldest books of the Bible, written during the time of the Patriarchs. What if part of the "why" was so that he could encourage believers (like me), for thousands of years after, with his story? What a testimony to have your life point back to God and not your own accomplishments. And, oh how his story makes me thank God for my friends! We went to the Memorial Day concert with just a few of our friends last night, and had a wonderful refreshing sweet time. The Dallas Symphony Orchestra played, our little girls danced as if it were their receital, and we watched fireworks and honored our military. It was wonderful family time that we needed! Thank you Lord for our friends!!!

This is the day the Lord has made...

On Friday afternoon, I ran into The Store in Lake Highlands intent on finding something with a promise from the Lord, to claim for that day. I wanted a cross, or plaque with a scripture that I could cling to now, and later (once He rescued us again) to have as an alter of God's faithfulness during dark times. I was searching for a verse of hope, trust, strength, but what God gave me instead was - rejoice. "This is the day the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24. Surely God is not calling me to rejoice and be glad on this day that Billy was let go at work. With all of the uncertainties in our lives right now, that would be irresponsible - wouldn't it? Actually, the irresponsible thing would be to NOT rejoice today. It was in the simple stitching on that pillow that God reminded me, "I am the Author of this, Lisetta. This is my doing, my plan, and you need to rejoice." And so I try to be faithful. I put the little pillow on the sofa, and an hour later, Emma brought it in to me and told me that she knew this verse. She read it from the pillow and then recited it from memory. How my heart fills up to see her already storing treasures from the Scripture, and how it hurts to think that someday she will need to lean on this verse as I am today. But it will be for her good, just as it is for my good ~ to rejoice.
I want all of you, who have prayed without ceasing for us all weekend, to know that your prayers have been heard. Billy and I had a wonderful weekend. I thought that our 12th Anniversary might be ruined by the bad news we received on Friday, but God has used this difficult time - the 2 weeks leading up to Friday - to reaffirm our relationship and knit us even closer together. Is He not Good?
I felt God was calling me to blog last year when Billy's unemployment started, but there was no time with me going back to work during the day, and the long nights with the girls while he was in school. So again, here we are, and again, I hear God calling me to blog. So, for now - it is probably a good way for me to put in writing what He is speaking to me during this time, and keep my friends and family aware of what God is doing in our lives. Be encouraged - the Lord is answering your prayers - they are powerful and mighty, and we are grateful beyond measure. A couple scriptures God gave me this weekend.
"Therefore, we do not lose heart, though outwardly, we are wasting away, yet inwardly, we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. (2Cor. 4:16-17) I consider everything a loss to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His suffering (Phil 3:8-10) So we fix our eyes, not on what is seen, but what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. (2 Cor. 4:18)
It is all about knowing Jesus. It is in the suffering, in the taking our eyes off the temporary - and placing them on the eternal, that we come to know Jesus. And as Paul said, nothing else matters.