Provision? or Blessing?

As I look back over my adult life, each major life experience has brought me to know God and certain attributes in a real and personal way.

After two miscarriages in two months in 2001, I came to know Him as my Comfort when no one on earth could possibly comfort me.

In 2004 when we moved to a different state, I came to know him as my Friend when I had to leave friends and family behind and had no friends to speak of nearby.

Also in 2004 I came to know him as my Strength when I was gripped by fear after finding out I was pregnant again.

In 2007 I came to know him as my Rescuer as I found myself thrust into a pit of depression and wallowing in self pity.

And now, in 2009 I am finally coming to know him as my Provider.

I never dreamed that I would find myself in the position I am today. My husband has lost his job and we have only my little bitty part-time income. But the Lord is providing for us.

As I mentioned in this post, Mike has a job doing contract work. Of course the catch is that he doesn’t get paid until he has a project to work on and the client pays the fee. Just in case you were curious… that hasn’t happened yet.

He is also pursuing a business that he has been looking into and planning to eventually get into for a year or two now. He is working to fulfill all the requirements to get his dealer’s license to buy and sell used cars. My man, the used car salesman. HA!!

It will mostly be an Internet based business and we believe, with him being such the car guy that he is, that this will be something he could potentially really enjoy while providing us some extra income. However, there are a lot of hoops to jump through to get the license and he is in the process of checking off that list.

So here we are in June. It’s been over two months since getting the news that Mike was losing his job and two months since his last day.

Where are we today, you ask?

We are trusting God and his leading. I believe that we are right where he has told us to be and that is huge for me. I’m a person that has historically had a problem with trust and it is very easy for me to try to take things over. But I have been spurred on as I have seen God’s sweet provision for us as we have taken each step to continue to trust His plan.

In short, you might say technically employed but with no paycheck. But in reality, I would say completely depending on God to provide is where we are.

And providing for us, He is.

Here is a list, although no where near complete, of some of the ways the Lord has provided for us recently.

He has provided:

* a direction for Mike to take before he even had his last day at work.
* this time in life for Mike to pursue some other business interests besides the field of his training and vocation.
* a computer for Mike.
* office space at a very reasonable rent (one of those requirements for the dealer’s license) that he can split with a friend also in need of office space, thus making it even cheaper for us.
* a great deal on some office furniture for Mike.
* money to pay for Sarah to go to camp this summer through our garage sale last week.
* money to pay for the kids’ birthday party through our garage sale last week.
* a book that I had wanted to read but couldn’t afford to purchase.
* a partial scholarship for tuition for our kids’ school.
* a delay in paying tuition for Nathan’s school for next year so that it and our paying the daycare didn’t overlap.
* for my car to miraculously start working again after being "dead" all week and allowing my man to take back the $450 - $500 in parts.
* a network of supportive family and friends who are faithful to pray with us and for us as we walk through this season of life.
* and the list, I'm sure, could go on and on.

You know, I keep telling Him, “Thanks God. Just don’t forget that we also need a PAYCHECK!”

I believe He will provide that, too. We are excited that Mike has some project possibilities on the horizon.

My friend Keal said to me just the other day, “I think sometimes that God works on the principles of ‘just in time’ accounting.”

I get nervous because our “just in time” is coming pretty quick.

But you know what, I think she might be right.

And I believe much of what we are experiencing goes far beyond just provision. I firmly believe we are in blessing territory here.

How has God been providing for and blessing you recently?
Make a list. Tell me in the comments.

The Perils of a Safe Nesting Place

I shared with you about a month ago that we had some birds who had built their nest in our garage. Click here to see that post.

Two weeks ago on Sunday, Mike noticed that there were, in fact, 2 baby birds in the nest. We are not sure when they hatched and, in fact, we were a little surprised because we hadn’t heard any of the noises we would have expected from baby birds. They were surprisingly quiet.

Being the curious sort that we are, we continued to check on them periodically over the next couple of days and got concerned when it didn’t seem that they were moving and we hadn’t seen either parent in a while. We were afraid that they hadn’t made it and / or that the parents had abandoned the nest.

Then, after a day or so, Mike told me that they had moved since the last time he had checked. And then we did begin noticing parent birds around and about. We began to have hope for them again.

Then he heard the sweetest thing. Mama or Daddy bird came in with an insect to feed them. Once they were at the nest and the babies were aware that there was food to be had, Mike said that he heard the faintest little peeping coming from the nest. Not long after that, I took this picture with my phone.



My research told me that they were Carolina Wrens (research being a loose term for my father-in-law). Once I figured out what kind of birds they were, I began doing some real internet style research on the chicks and knew that they would fledge from the nest at about 12 – 14 days old.

But, we did not know when they had hatched, so we had no idea when they would be ready to leave the nest. So we were surprised to come home from a day trip on the following Saturday evening to two baby birds out of the nest. The problem was that one had fallen into the feed tube of our chipper/shredder (that little small tube towards the bottom there).



We’re such softies that we couldn’t possibly leave him there. So, we set about formulating a plan for his safe release and eventually came to the conclusion that the chipper would have to come apart.

And Chip (as we eventually named him) was freed.

Until the next day when we found him stuck in the recycling bin.



Obviously Chip was having a bit of difficulty getting going with the whole flying thing.

The other one, which we named Carolina, was actually flying quite well and was not getting stuck anywhere. But poor Chip. He just wasn’t ready yet.

I thought about how I had praised these bird parents on their selection of nesting places. How it was so nice and out of the elements. Warm at night. In the shade and not too hot during the day. Out of the wind and rain of the spring thunder bumpers that come through.

Who would have thought of how dangerous a garage could be for young birds trying to learn how to fly.

Then I thought of how our lives are just like this. We look for that safe place. It’s comfortable and stable. Not too much wind and safe from the storms.

Then, for what ever reason, you are out of the nest. And that safe place becomes very perilous with obstacles to overcome that you never would have foreseen. Some of them could be even quite dangerous.

I have personally felt like this recently. We had a safe place. A job with a steady income. It wasn’t ideal, but it was safe. However, we are now out of the nest and navigating a whole new world of obstacles and challenges that we never had imagined. And sometimes, I feel like poor little Chip, unable to fly very well and getting stuck at every turn.

The great part of this story is that we witnessed over the next day or so as the parent birds encouraged poor little Chip and continued to bring him food to allow him develop his flying abilities. And then, I so fortunate to have opened the door to the garage and the most opportune moment and watched as this little chick hopped to the opening of the garage with one of his parents outside calling to him and urging him on. Then, all of the sudden, that little bird took flight and left the nesting place of our garage.

We haven’t seen him since.



As I think of those little birds and them being out in the big world with dangers that I can't even imagine, I realize that even with the perils of the garage, it was in fact a safe place despite the dangers and obstacles that I perceived because it was where their parents wanted them.

Just like those birds, I believe we are in a safe place also as long as we are where our Heavenly Father wants us. And even if we can't fly very well, He'll keep encouraging us and feeding us until we get our wings. There will be obstacles and challenges, but He has us in the palm of His hand. And it doesn’t get any safer than that.

*5/10/09 Edited to add:
I have included this post on the Real Life Blog's carnival "Your Life, Your Blog." Come and join and share your life at Real Life.

Where I am (Part 3) - Provision

I was supposed to finish telling y’all about our situation last week. But I was in a bit of a bloggy funk or something. I was falling asleep early at night and not motivated to write much of anything. I had begun this post a couple of times and in a couple of different ways, but it just wasn’t coming together for me.

So here I am; it’s Saturday morning, Mike and Sarah have gone rock climbing, Nathan is still in bed, and I’m alone with my computer. Now all I need is a cup of coffee… hang on a second.

{Walking to coffee pot… coming back with a warm cup… ahhhh}

If you need to be reminded, or maybe you just don’t know what’s been going on for us over the last month, you may want to go back and read this and this.

Now… moving on.

To make what could potentially be a long (and very boring) story short, I will summarize by saying that Mike basically had a job possibility in the works before he ever had his last day at his old job. We weren’t absolutely sure at the time that it was what we were going to do, but we knew it was there and we were leaning in that direction.

But even taking on this opportunity has been a step of faith for us. It required some focused time of seeking and discerning God’s will and direction. And after doing that, Mike felt like God was saying, “Get to work.”

So, here’s the deal. He will be working on a contract basis from home for a small company that is in another city a few hours away. The challenge we will face with this job is very simply from the aspect of our cash flow. It will be an unsteady pay check with no set amount. We will get paid a percentage of fees when the client pays the fee.

The interesting thing is that this is exactly what we have been wanting and dreaming for Mike over the last year or so. A job where he could work from home would afford him flexibility to devote extra time to family and some other interests he would like to pursue as well. We felt strongly enough about this that when we had a planning time in January, we looked very closely at our finances and set out a tentative 5 year plan to put us in position for this exact type of change to happen.

Hey GOD! You’re 5 years EARLY on this one!

No. In His infinite wisdom and sovereignty, we do recognize that He is right on time, even though we might not understand His timing.

God is good! And His provision is perfect.

But, what it boils down to is that we will have to completely change the way we approach our finances. We will have to be more disciplined. We will have to set a budget and actually stick to it. I will have to actually watch what I spend at the grocery store. We will have to eat out less.

So that’s where we are. He has a “job” that he has kind of “started.” It’s just hard to fully recognize that when he’s not getting up and going to an office. And there are still so many details to be ironed out between him and this company as far as his contract goes. And we have no idea when we will get a pay check. And I am having to share a computer with him which is about to drive me insane.

But I cannot deny that the Lord is SO graciously and abundantly providing for us that it just about makes me speechless.

Just about.

Where I am (part 2) - Hope and Pruning

"Where I am (part 1) - Security"

From the day we found out this news a few weeks ago, we have been able to say that we are not without hope in this situation. We know that God will provide. We know that He is faithful. We know, without a doubt, that He will take care of us.

And we are already seeing evidence of it.

The truly awesome thing is that Mike had not been happy in his job for quite a while. He was bored out of his mind, and just knew deep down that it was not what he was meant to do. But honestly I think the provider mentality took over and he knew the bills had to get paid. So we took the “safe” path and he stuck with it.

He has long talked about other interests and things he has wanted to pursue. And we have discussed on many occasions how we’d love for him to be able to work on a contract basis from home to allow him to pursue some of those interests. But the risk of quitting his job to do that was too great.

Well, that decision has now been made for us. We now think it’s time to take some steps.

There are so many illustrations I can use here, but the one that is sticking with me the most is the idea of pruning. I began to connect this Biblical principle to our situation after reading this post from Bring the Rain just days after we received the news of the loss of Mike’s job. In that post, Angie included this quote from the book Turn My Mourning into Dancing by Henri Nouwen.

"Pruning means cutting, reshaping, removing what diminishes vitality. When we look at a pruned vineyard, we can hardly believe it will bear fruit. But when the harvest comes, we realize that the pruning allowed the vines to concentrate their energy and produce more grapes. Grateful people learn to celebrate even amid life's hard and harrowing memories because they know that pruning is no mere punishment, but preparation.

When our gratitude for the past is only partial, our hope for the future can likewise never be full. But our submitting to God's pruning work will not ultimately leave us sad, but hopeful for what can happen in us and through us. Harvest time will bring its own blessings...pg19"

I truly believe that God is pruning away that old dead job so that Mike, and our whole family for that matter, can grow, multiply, be fruitful and flourish somewhere else.

And we believe we may have found that “somewhere else.”

And I'll share more about that somewhere else soon.

Where I am (Part 1) - Security

My world has been shaken yet again. To the core, it seems.

You can say all the right things like, “God is in control,” or “Depend on Him,” all you want. Believe me, these are things I already know and have known with each trial He has brought me through. I can testify that God is faithful and that he WILL NOT fail.

And yet I have been struggling. It seems that a world-quake has come and left my seemingly perfect little life in shambles.

We have become one of the many families lying amongst the carnage of a failing economy. Mike lost his job. His last day was Friday the 17th.

We have known about this for a couple of weeks now. We were very fortunate because normally in his business, the day they tell you is your last day. But since he is the only one in the area that does his job, they asked him to stick around for a couple of weeks to button things up.

As the uncertainty of the future has set in more and more, I have found myself wrapping my arms around my man and longing for him to wrap his arms around me and make me feel secure once again.

I don’t think this is a wrong response per-se. In fact, it has been a bit of a gift, drawing us closer together as a couple. But, how much more do I need to be seeking God’s loving arms for security?

And believe me…. I AM!

I receive daily devotional thought emails from someone. They are taken from a book entitled Jesus Calling by Sarah Young. They are all written from Jesus' perspective to the reader. So, it's almost like I get a little email from God on a daily basis. And they have hit home so often here lately. For instance, last Wednesday, this was in my email inbox:

"TRUST ME, and don't be afraid. Many things feel out of control. Your routines are not running smoothly. You tend to feel more secure when your life is predictable. Let Me lead you to the Rock that is higher than you and your circumstances. Take refuge in the shelter of My wings, where you are absolutely secure.

When you are shaken out of your comfortable routines, grip My hand tightly and look for growth opportunities. Instead of bemoaning the loss of your comfort, accept the challenge of something new. I lead you on from glory to glory, making you fit for My kingdom. Say yes to the ways I work in your life. Trust Me, and don't be afraid.

Isaiah 12:2 Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The Lord , the Lord, is my strength and my song;he has become my salvation.

Psalm 61:2-4: 2 From the ends of the earth I call to you. I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I. 3 For you have been my refuge,a strong tower against the foe. 4 I long to dwell in your tent forever and take refuge in the shelter of your wings.

2 Corinthians 3:18 And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit."

This is not the end of this story. God is working in some amazing ways. I will be posting more later on this week.


P.S. If you know us "IRL" (in real life), you need to know that we are shielding our children from as much of this as possible. Sarah knows some, but not everything. Please respect our wishes and do not discuss this with our children. I also ask that you not bring this up and spread this information around. We are not talking much about it with most people (like general people at church and stuff). Again, please respect our wishes in this area. I really don't want to have to answer a ton of questions about it.

Sunday's Song - The More I Seek You

Yes, Sunday's Song on Monday. As I've said before, I'd have been late to my own birthday if I could have been.

This song really touched me in worship on Sunday.



As we sang this, my little man sat in my lap with his head resting against my chest. I got a perfect demonstration of what it's like to really sit in the arms of the ultimate loving Parent, leaning back against Him and feeling His heart beat.

What love and peace I encountered in that moment! Both as a parent of this 3 year old and as a child of God.

May you encounter Him today.

When you can see that they get it

When we moved to Virginia in the summer of 2004, we had an extremely difficult time finding a new church home. We loved our church in Texas so much and therefore had some pretty high and specific expectations. Many were “negotiable.” Some were not.

One of the things that was a “non-negotiable” for us was not only a welcoming spirit toward children at the church with programming for them, but also in the worship service itself. There were many churches we visited where we just sensed that our child would not be welcome in the worship service.

Let me explain.

I sense that there is a movement among many churches to have a separate “Children’s Church” away from the adults. While I can see the usefulness of such a program in certain situations, it is not something that Mike and I are interested in for our children. We believe that we are the ones best suited to teach our children what corporate worship is all about. And that is best done with them at our side on Sunday mornings in the worship service.

At the time of our move, Sarah was 3 ½ and we were already beginning to introduce her to our corporate worship service. So, imagine my surprise when at one church in Virginia, (which will remain unnamed) we were told that we really weren’t supposed to bring our child into the worship service. But, if we did, we were expected to sit behind a certain area. Not up closer to the front where the child is more likely to be able to pay attention and stay engaged… NOOO… let’s shove all the kids to the back where they’ll likely be more disruptive.

But I’m not bitter or anything.

Not me.

Needless to say, we never returned to that church. And I wrote a letter to the pastor. I’m still waiting for a reply… four years later.

I read a book several years ago, entitled Parenting in the Pew, when we were starting on this journey with Sarah. It not only helped me form some of my opinions on the subject, but also gave me some wonderful guidance as what exactly to do. How the rubber meets the road kind of thing.

Much of the author’s point (from what I remember), and where I completely agree with her, is that our children need us as parents to guide them in what corporate worship is. They need to see and experience things like baptisms and the Lord’s Supper with their parents. They need to see their parents worshipping the Most High God.

There is no better teacher my children have than me because God has given that responsibility to me as the parent. Period.

We are several years into the teaching process with Sarah and just embarking on the journey with Nathan now that he is three. It can be extremely frustrating at times. And then there are times like this morning.

I sat with my children on either side of me. We were sitting at the Lord’s table together, as a family. Sarah gently helped me hold my communion cup. Nathan, the inquisitive three year old, grilled his dad on what everything was with question upon question.

And then, as we stood in prayer at one point, my sweet seven year old daughter dropped to her knees in prayer.

And I thank my Savior that I was the one next to her to bear witness that in the Holy Spirit’s leading, she is getting it.

She is getting it.

Awestruck

There is no other word for what I am feeling right now. Y'all just HAVE to read this post at Beyond This Moment about the booklet she won in the giveaway I did here a month ago.

Y'all, our GOD... He is some kind of AWESOME!!!

Secret Pain

There are white crosses in front of the church that originally started my daughter's school.

The other day she asked me about them. I found myself in a position that I never anticipated back on that day in 2001 when I heard her screaming her fool-head off as she was delivered out of the womb and into the world. I had to explain to my 7 year old daughter what abortion is.

And then, of course the conversation naturally came around to miscarriage. That was a hard one to explain as well. And emotional for me. I never imagined how difficult it would be to tell my daughter that I'd had two miscarriages after she was born.

But as I think about that conversation and the little bit of lost innocence in her I am reminded of something Beth Moore said this weekend. There are certain things that we need to know, but choose not to - it's called denial. And there are certain things that we insist on knowing that we shouldn't - only God should know certain things. This is one of those things that she needed to know. And although she was a little disturbed by what I told her, it was clear that she was ready for it.

I have also thought about what each of those crosses represent. The life of a child lost in abortion. But, friends, it's so much more. They also ought to represent to us the life of a mother that is hurting and wounded. Maybe the woman next door. Maybe someone you sit next to in choir or Bible Study at church. Walking wounded. Keeping their pain and hurt inside because it's not the kind of pain that is "acceptable" to talk about in church circles.

What if we were to break that pattern? What if we were to really reach out to the hurting in our midst? What if we were to give ourselves permission to acknowledge the secret hurts among so many women? What if we were to help them surrender their secret?

My sweet friend Melinda at Traveling the Road Home is trying to accomplish just that. She has a friend that, together with God, developed the study Surrendering the Secret which has recently been released in DVD form. She is giving away 5 sets of leader kits and study books and you could win one for your church's use.

You can read more about the giveaway here.

Although I don't know the pain of abortion, I have friends who do. It is a pain like no other. Let's break the cycle of the secret pain.

It's monumental, I tell you

Today, my friends, is an auspicious occasion.

It's not coincidence, in my opinion, that my 200th post would coincide with my blogiversary.

Yes, you read that right. It's my blogiversary and 200th post. (Actually with the timing of the blog-over, this is probably post # 201... but I'm the only one so detailed as to care.)

*cue Academy Awards type music*

I'd like to thank my man *snif* for not rolling his eyes at me too terribly much and for cleaning out my car just so I could show all my readers what a slob I am.

*snif*

I'd like to thank my children for such wonderful blog-able moments. You bless my heart with your stubbornness, sweetness, and general child-being. Such beautiful blog fodder you provide on a daily basis. (Yeah, I post a lot about my kids)

*about to ugly cry*

*but successfully holding it back like an Olympic athlete hearing the National Anthem*

I'd like to thank you, dear readers, *sniffle sniff* for, well, reading.

I'd like to thank the Academy... oh, wait...

:)

Seriously, I enjoy this blog and I hope you do, also. I really do want to thank you for reading like you do. But also for laughing, crying, and praying with me.


This year has marked a turning point in my life and the summer of 2007 initiated that turning point which led me to blogging. God has done some amazing things in my life personally and blogging has helped me write about and think through things.

And I've made a decision.

I have no desire to go back to the same ol' "gonna just act like a Christian" life that I had back then. I am not going to live life the way anyone just thinks I should. My life will not just be a premade life from a box.

I am all about being full-out, full-on, fully engaged in a relationship with Jesus Christ. I'm still growing in this. I still have ebs and flows, ups and downs... but I am NOT going back there. I am laying down my pride and independence and working to fully trust and believe God.

That, my friends, is a declaration. Please hold me accountable to it.

Monumental, indeed.

Three year old Theology

You know, every once in a while I hear something and it touches me. But I’m not really sure how it is going to flesh out. How rubber meets the road.

Then, something happens in real life and I have an “AH-HA” moment.

That happened today.

Nathan had his 3 year old check-up today.

Yes, I know… he turned 3 like 3 months ago. But it was a busy summer. You know how it goes. By the time I made the appointment, I had to schedule it for a month away. Then had to reschedule when he was at Nanny’s house and the Dr.’s office was super busy with back to school check-ups and everything. So here we are, nearly 3 months later. Whatever… we finally got it done.

So as we were in the appointment, the doctor is asking him all kinds of questions. What did he have for breakfast? Cheerios. (Good answer son. Don’t tell her about the Ding-dongs.) Does he like vegetables? Yes. Then he asks if we can go home. In just a minute.

So then she asks him about his big sister.

How is your big sister? How’s Sarah?

I have a big sister.

Yes, I know.

And I have a big dad.

A big dad. Yes, you do.

And I have mommy.

Yes.

And she has me.

And she has me… yes, my son, I have you.

And that brought back to mind the message of Inheritance from this weekend at Living Proof Live. Point number 3 was “I am an heir of God. He is my portion… and I am His.” The last part of that statement is the hard one to grasp. I am His portion. I am His inheritance. His treasured possession.

Nathan’s sweet statement kind of brought this home for me.

A parent’s love for their child is unlike any other. Just as there is no love like that between husband and wife. And the love between friends, sisters, Siestas… well, that’s in a class all its own.

What is blowing my mind right now is that God’s love for me is the embodiment of all these types of love. He sees us as His bride. He sees us as His children. He calls us His friends.

But as I looked at Nathan after he said that today, I thought to myself, “Yes, you are my inheritance. I get it.” That’s what it’s about. The LOVE that God has for me and how he looks on me in anticipation of what I will one day become. The same way I look upon my own children.

He is my portion… and I AM HIS!!!

And we also have a BIG DAD!

Hallelujah!

Providence

So, the trip.

It was as excellent as any trip could be.

Today I will share some logistical things that just really shows how God had his hand on me, provided for me every step of the way, and put me exactly where I needed to be in miraculous ways.

I’ll share other things about the weekend in later posts.

We (my dear friend K, her mom and I) flew out on Friday morning with basically no delays. This in and of itself is a miracle as I found out later that there were so many delays later on in the day due to the weather there in San Antonio. The Lord put us on the right flight at the right time, Hallelujah!

As we landed I found that I had a voice mail. It was from my friend Beth who I was supposed to spend Friday and Saturday nights with. She is currently pregnant with TWINS (YEA!) and her message said that not only was she having some difficulty which was causing her to be on some bed-rest this weekend, but her one year-old was also sick.

I had already been concerned about them having to come downtown to get me and trying to get back downtown early in the morning, etc. In fact, I had emailed a Siesta from the LPM blog to see if I could catch rides with her. But at the moment that I got this voice mail from Beth, I knew that I just needed to not stay with them on Friday night and began praying and believing that the Lord would provide so that I would not have to add the stress of a house guest for Friday night on them and that any transportation issues for Saturday would be taken care of.

He abundantly provided.

I called my man and gave him the task. He was up to it. He’s so good that way. Using points, he was able to get me a room there at the Marriot Rivercenter where my friends and just about everyone else from the conference were staying. It cost me a grand total of $15. And I had a room with a king sized bed all to myself.



I don’t have to tell you… it was a blessing.

Then, after wandering around the mall and finding a super cute blouse on sale at Macy’s, I hung out back in my room, all by myself, for a while. Lo and behold, I had an email from Siesta Lori Anne that she did, in fact, live near my friend Beth and she could absolutely give me a ride. So I called her, told her of my change in plans and we then made plans to meet up and I could get a ride from her out to Beth’s house on Saturday afternoon.

He abundantly provided!

Well, back up a little to a couple of weeks ago as I was finalizing (or so I thought) my plans. By the time I finally had time to think about this trip and the Siesta Fiesta, I had missed out on signing up for the PJ party that some of them were having on Saturday night.

So, although I would have loved so badly to hang out with some of you playing games and gabbing all night on Saturday night, I played with Beth’s one year old son and gave Nick, his dad, a little bit of a break. I got to play “Aunt” Donna and laugh when he misbehaved because, hey, I’m not the mom. Woo hoo! It was a blast. And he is just a doll! I also had the privilege of cooking for them so that they could have a meal for a day or two. It wasn’t much, but I think it helps a little and that was definitely where I needed to be.

He so abundantly provided!

Travis Cottrell told us on Saturday afternoon that he would be at Oak Hills Church at Saturday evening and Sunday morning services leading in worship. Their pastor is someone you may have heard of before… Max Lucado. He was going to be preaching this weekend, which he doesn’t all the time. And it just not so happens that Beth and Nick live, oh, 10 minutes from Oak Hills Church. So, I went this morning and was so incredibly blessed.

And yet again… He abundantly provides!!!

My flight home left on time in spite of weather. And a woman, who obviously needed to talk through some religious issues made it on to the flight and sat next to me. I wasn’t sure at first how the conversation was going to go, but it was good. And it showed me that I could depend on Jesus and the Holy Spirit to give me the words that needed to be said. Whatever I did say didn’t seem to turn her off, because we talked for the entire flight. A divine appointment, to be sure.

So the point of this story (*gasp* there is a point?) is that God provided for every logistical detail so that I would be where I needed to be when I needed to be there.
And to quote Beth Moore from this weekend:
"Providence is the FACT that God works as powerfully in the every day as in the miraculous."

The weekend... it was providential.

What ever will you do?

There will be no Foodie Friday this week.


I KNOW... it's SO distressing.


But there's a good reason... I promise.


I plan on spending this evening at parents' night up at the school hearing from Sarah's teacher and trying to convince the other parents in our class that helping me out with all the room-parent responsibilities is a worthy cause because I don't have endless amounts of time or energy to do it all myself.


We'll just have to see how all that will go over.


Like a lead balloon, I'm sure.


Then I plan on going home and seriously trying to spend some time in preparing physically, mentally and spiritually for a conference that I am attending this weekend. Yep, tomorrow I get on a jet plane.


It's just a little conference with a really good Christian speaker and Bible teacher. Maybe you've heard of her... Beth Moore.



:)



So, yes, I'm on my way to Living Proof Live in San Antonio and looking forward to a WORD!


I've been planning on this since March or so... not long after I entered the blogging world. It was at that point that I started reading the LPM blog and found that there is going to be a Fiesta of LPM readers (AKA Siestas) and bloggers at this LPL event. The more I got to know some of the ladies that frequent the LPM blog by reading their comments, the more I couldn't wait to at least shake their hand... because you know, I'm not much of a hugger.


Or maybe you didn't know that.


I'm not so much a hugger with you unless I know you really well and for quite a while. I'm not sure why, but I have personal space issues.


In fact, I'm a little concerned about the Fiesta because all the ladies keep talking about giving everyone a big hug. More than likely, they are just talking to those other bloggers that they have known really well and for quite a while and I have nothing to be concerned about.


But I digress.


SO, my point is (as if I EVER have one) I'm headed to San Antonio and I may even do a little "live" blogging throughout my weekend.


Let me know if you're going. I look forward to seeing you.

Update on Mom and Dad for Miracle Monday

I was really touched by the story my dad told about his recent ministry experience and felt that it was a good story to post as a true miracle this fine Monday.

For the sake of those who read here who do not know my whole story, I'll give just a little back-ground. My parents left in January of this year to minister in South Asia for 2 years as part of a program for retirees through our denomination's international missions organization. My dad has, for many years, ministered in prisons and has done a bit of globe trotting doing disaster relief work. In other words, when I really stop and think aobut it, it is not surprising that the Lord would call them to this task.

Side Note: Forgive me if any of this is confusing. I am omitting all names of people and places as I cannot give specifics of their location or anything for their safety.

My dad recently posted a story on their own website that really touched me and confirmed for me why they are where they are.

As I said, my dad has ministered in prisons for years here in the states. First through a large para-church prison ministry organization. And most recently just in a prison located locally near where they lived. So, it made sense to him that the Lord would want him to continue that ministry no matter where in the world he was and he believed that Holy Spirit had put such a desire in his heart.

He began to explore possibilities and found that Hindus and Muslims were effectively ministering in prisons where he is. But no doors were opened to him.

Then, he got word from the states that a Christian brother had been imprisoned near him and he was asked to make a "pastoral visit" if possible. He did so and I'm certain that he was a huge comfort and encouragement to this man who could only sit there and wonder, "Why has this happened?"

On one of these visits he took with him a local pastor who he thought might be able to aid in the man's release. This did not work out, but in the course of the prison visit, the local pastor found that he was long time friends with the Assistant Superindendent of the prison, who is also a Chrisitian. They had a nice reunion and they were told that they could come any time to lead in Christian worship and pass out literature.

The man my dad had originally visited in the prison has been released and is back in the U.S., but we have seen the answer to his "Why". My dad and his pastor friend recently led worship in that prison, freely preached the gospel and passed out Bibles and tracts. They also have opportunities openning up to them in other prisons nearby, including what he has heard to be the largest prison in their country.

God truly works miracles. And when difficult times come for us, we never can tell what may happen as a result or how others may be blessed because of our faith.

Romans 8:28-29 (NIV)

"And we know that in all things God works for the good fo those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers."

If you think about them, please pray for them and pray specifically for this area of ministry for my dad.

Also as a side note, there have been some localized bombs being detinated in their area over the weekend. Please be in prayer for their safety as well.

For other Miracle Monday stories or to share your own, visit Beth at A Mom's Life.