Tuesday, March 20, 2012

The Way A Big Ship Turns

Little by little, but eventually, it does turn. Not all at once, but you start to notice it, and eventually, that big ship will be turned 180 degrees from what it was before.

Remember my post about believing God was about to 180 our situation? If not, then you must read it here to understand the full impact of this post.

The beginning of this turn happened!

As you all know, I've been looking for a very long time for a second job. And I've been very specific in my prayers. I wanted to be able to stay with Starbucks, I wanted part time, I wanted/needed x amount of money, and I wanted to be home with my family in the evenings. I was believing God to answer every bit of that.

And on Friday, I was OFFERED A JOB!! It fits every criteria I prayed for, except the money. God gave us more :-) I'll be a part time bank teller with Bank of America. Seriously, we are blown away, not only in God's blessing, but in the way He chose to do it all.

The big ship is turning, and I'll have much more to say later. Until then, who wants to go shopping with me to update my wardrobe?!

Monday, March 12, 2012

180 Dollars

God did something profound in our lives this past week. Profound, and exciting!

Some dear friends of ours, out of the blue, sent us a card in the mail this past week saying that we'd been on their hearts, and included a check for us to use as we needed. First off, we are always blessed by people's generosity, especially when we see others make real sacrifices. And this definitely came at another time of need for us.

But then, on Friday, we went out to Teen Mania for alumni reunion. During the session, Dave was calling people to the front for prayer on different topics, and we went down to be prayed for concerning our job situation. I saw an older man an beelined for him, simply because I desired "older wisdom" to pray over us, ya know? When he prayed, he spoke the word favor over and over, which is exactly the word we needed, because I've not felt God's favor on us in the least bit job wise.

Fast forward, as this man was leaving later, he stopped and shook Rob's hand and I could see that he slipped him something. We looked later, and he had given Rob cash. I couldn't believe that this total stranger felt inclined to do that!

But it wasn't until driving home that it hit me, the significane in the amount of money we had been given this week. It totalled up to $180.

I started thinking about a 180 degree change, and what that means. A 180 degree change takes you in the complete opposite direction of where you've been going.

For months now, we've been on a path of stress, joblessness, financial struggle, emotional struggle, lack of faith, you name it! And this gift we've been given this past week, I completely believe is symbolically God's way of saying He is about to completely change our path! No more joblessness, no more financial struggle and the stress it brings. He is about to do a 180!

Thank you God for using our lives, using our pain, to bring hope and joy to others in need. Thank you for your Word, and for the great things you have ahead! Be encouraged friends, oh be encouraged!

Saturday, March 10, 2012

When at Teen Mania

During worship there will always, no matter what be that person who:
Lays on the floor
Dances in the back
Stands against a wall
Sings way too loud and doesn't sing very well

Each person's uniqueness, but it's beautiful and like nowhere else. Definitely warmed my heart :-)

Got to be a part of Honor Academy worship and be refreshed by a message from Dave. I am so, so, so thankful for the HA. I needed it. Sometimes we, as former interns, need certain messages that people who haven't been through the internship can't really understand or relate to. And even though I've hardly slept and now I'm about to leave for work, it was worth it.

We were also blessed in a unique way which I will share about at a later time :-)

Oh, and not to mention every corner we turned we heard "Oooooh a baby!!"

Yeah, every intern loves a baby :-)

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

an offering

Too many of "those days" are occurring recently. You know, the ones that leave you down and in a bad mood.

Two job interviews today. One turned out to be not what I thought, like at all. And even though I was offered the job on the spot, I had zero peace about it. The other interview, well lets just say the recruiter had a communication fail and told me a different time than what she told the employer.

So driving home I was pretty bummed. Started thinking yet again about how much I regret not taking that job at Teen Mania. All because of stinkin' greed and thinking it wasn't enough money.

Then I walked in the door, Josiah saw me and gave me THE biggest grin, like the best thing in the world just happened to him. And it made my whole day better.

And as I sat there feeding him, I cried and prayed that God would use our pain, our experience, our testimony, everything that we've been through, for His glory. That this [seemingly never-ending] season of our lives will not be wasted. Let our lives be an offering that God multiplies for His kingdom.

Saturday, March 3, 2012

The Best Saturday

A little over a week ago my husband made me clear this Saturday and said he had big plans. I simply couldn't imagine what he had planned.

I was to be ready at 10 am, be cute but comfy. 10 am rolls around and he sends me out the door to get a pedicure. He could have won me over with just that!

After I arrived back home from my relaxing time alone the whole family, Boss included, were ready to go! I was blindfolded and told not to ask questions. I couldn't figure out why in the world the dog was coming! Groomer, dog park, what?!

After a long while of driving we drove over some grooves in the road, grooves I knew quite well. And it hit me, east Texas! Oh my husband knows me so well.

East Texas is a place that refreshes my heart. And it's definitely needed some refreshing. We spent the day with brad and brittney. Burgers, fries, hot dogs, corn on the cob, a trip to Andy's custard. Cooked fried pickles with Brit (her pregnancy craving (-:). And then as we left I gazed up at the stars and listened to the cold quiet night.

I spent so much time sitting under the stars on chilly nights when I lived here. I miss the quiet. I miss the stars. I miss the peacefulness of the "boondocks". I have the best husband ever. He is so thoughtful and knew exactly what my heart needed. I am so blessed.