Road Tripping Again

We love a road trip. The kids pop out of bed way before dawn, dressed and ready to go, super-pumped. Part of the excitement might be the enormous quantities of fun junk food we know we'll be consuming on the road, not to mention the hours of movies to be watched on the laptop (not by Steve, he has to drive).

The fact that we start our trip out with a stop at our favorite donut shop (the Lighthouse on Indian Rocks Beach...yum!) and an extra-hot Starbucks, extra-caffeinated doesn't hurt. By 9:30 when the sugar buzz has worn off and the kids are clamoring for the Holy Grail of road trip stops (that would be McDonald's, in case you don't have kids under 10), we fill up on carbs and sugar again and are good to go for another few hours, um, I mean miles.

Anyways, our last trip was 2 weeks ago, and we were headed to Ft. Walton Beach, FL, where we'd been stationed at Hurlburt Field from 1994-1996. We love our church family there at Hollywood Boulevard Baptist. They shower us with such love, care, prayers, and make us feel like we're back home after a long absence. The body of Christ is an amazing thing.

Oh, yeah. And they feed us very well, too.

On the way home, we had planned to stop at the Armament Museum near Eglin AFB. Nate had been talking about it for months, but that last morning, as we got ready to leave, we were told that it was closed. Instead of getting angry or sulking (like I would've done!), Nate told Steve, "Dad, that's ok. Let's just be thankful for what we HAVE gotten to do on this trip." Wow. Amazing.

The cool thing is that, while the inside of the museum was closed, the outside, packed with static aircraft displays was open, and we had a wonderful time exploring and taking pictures. The gift shop was open as well, and everyone got a great souvenir of our visit. We all cheered and clapped, thankful for God spoiling us with a mini-vacation, an encouraging time with friends, and, oh yes, great eats (McD's notwithstanding!)

Life in a 4X4 Box

First of all, a few months ago, I didn't know what a pallet was. Apparently, it's a 4 foot by 4 foot crate to fill with all your wordly possessions. Then, you itemize each and every thing (note to self: do not pack weapons, contraband of any nature, or worse, chocolate, which might melt).
Next, you bid adieu to said possessions, hoping that they make it in some sort of resemblance to one piece to your destination, across many treacherous miles.
Now, we're in step one of this process. Today, we packed our pallet. It's amazing how much stuff I'm realizing I can (try to) live without. Well, aside from the shoes. Those are a must-have.
However, I'm wondering about one thing. Do you think it's a bad sign that our shipping company isn't answering our calls?
Just wondering.

Microscopic...

If I listen, God can speak so clearly through my children. When asked what one thing they would like to change in Guatemala, Shelby (7) says without delay,
"I want them to have clean water to drink. They wash their clothes and drink that water... and they get sick... and I want to help them." One of the local communal wash basins is picture on the left where women wash their clothes and children bring buckets to fill with water for their families to drink.

The solution is simple. A filter can be made economically for a whole family out of concrete, gravel, and treated sand (pictured left as concrete is shaped by a mold). Simply pouring contaminated water into the top of the filter will purify it. Minimal effort required. The family just needs to be willing to use it.

This might sound simple, but in fact, most are not convinced that they need the filter. They nod in agreement as the missionary explains about bacteria and parasites, and they allow the filter to be placed in their home. Yet they may never use it, or at most, may enjoy the "bragging rights" it gives them in their neighborhood. "Look", they'll say, "Our water is clean and we don't need a filter" as they hold up fairly clear liquid. Finally, one doctor from our church allowed them to look through his microscope and they were horrified to see with their own eyes, an entire world that never knew existed. The filter was put to good use after that.

I've sat for years nodding in agreement that there is a world full of hurting people. I even saw them on TV and quickly grabbed the remote so my dinner wouldn't lose its flavor from conviction. I did manage to visit Guatemala on a short-term missions trip with my church and was happy to help build one house for a family whose home had been washed away in floods after a hurricane. I'm ashamed to admit that I managed to avoid taking my children to an orphanage in Tampa that our church visits each Saturday... except once, so I could show them how good Christians take a bag of food once a year at Christmas to appease my aching conscience.

However, it wasn't until I visited Guatemala with my children that I realized I had only been nodding my head in agreement that there was a problem that needed my entire life's focus...

My children were horrified and cried inconsolably when they heard stories from our pastor about the children in the orphanage who have no one who cares enough to spend time with them. My daughter sobs as she talks about other children who are dying from diseases that are preventable. My son can hardly express his shock that there are people still worshiping idols, animals, the sun, moon, and stars; and he tells stories of how they even had pictures of them on the walls of one of the restaurants we visited while in Guatemala.

My children have become my microscope. I have shown them enough and they refuse to ignore it.

Oh God, please soften my heart and use my own body as a filter for your kingdom. May my life not be wasted on going through the motions, merely enjoying the benefits you've given me, when you intended them to be used for your kingdom and the benefit of others. May I be horrified at the hurt, understand how physical needs are an illustration of spiritual needs, and of how You want to demonstrate Your power through my tender heart and serving You the way You want to be served, not settling for religious busyness (see the illustrations in Mark 2:9-12, Mark 10:13-15, Matt 21:28-31, Isa 58:3-7).

But if I ignore the illustration, how can I ever expect to learn the lesson?

Be Near

Sometimes you come across something that makes selling a house, the headaches of moving, the daily grind and stress of life seem completely, utterly insignificant.
Yesterday was one of those times.
A few things led up to this realization.
A couple of months ago, I read a convicting book, one that I knew would challenge me before I even opened it. It is "Dangerous Surrender" by Kay Warren, and DO NOT read it unless you want your brain and heart to be stretched, to be asked to think through things in a kingdom way. She has the audacity to expect the reader to apply what he/she reads, not just skim through it and say, "Oh, that was a great book. I think my husband would get a lot out of it! He should really read this." No, she asks ME to change.
Then, last week I read "My Hands Came Away Red" by Lisa McKay, a fiction about a girl who embarks on a mission trip, thinking it will be fun and simple. It is everything but. I can't say any more about it without giving away the plot, but, barely into the first chapter, I already didn't want it to end.
The combination of both of these books and the blog God led me to yesterday snapped me out of my shallow self-centeredness and reminded me that, yes, life is often incredibly hard, often makes us long to quit, often just plain wears us down. But the beauty--the moments where we do see a glimpse of God, of eternity, the total surrender to the belief that He cannot be anything but good-- keeps us pressing through the desert. There is a Promised Land.
So, please read the story of Anthony and Amber (a couple I don't even know) on the blog I found, http://www.cold-water-news.blogspot.com/
They are a young couple with two children, missionaries to Ethiopia,who went through the unimaginable last week. Amber, only 28, died in a car accident. The faith demonstrated by her husband and her church, her own words in her journal rocked me. Please pray for Anthony and their young children, for God to be very, very near to them now. Here are some lyrics from a song by Shane and Shane that speak a prayer for all of us:

You are all,big and small ,
And wonderful to trust in grace through faith
But I'm asking to taste~
For dark is light to you
Depths are height to you
Far is near, but Lord I need to hear from you.
Be near, oh God, Be near, oh God of us
Your nearness is to us our good.
Be near, oh God, Be near, oh God of us
Your nearness is to us our good ,Our good.
Your fullness is mine
Revelation divine
But oh to taste, to know much more than a page
To feel your embrace...
For dark is light to you
Depths are height to you
Far is near but Lord, I need to hear from you.
Be near,oh God, Be near, oh God of us
Your nearness is to us our good.

God is Faithful!

We really celebrated yesterday as we walked away from the closing on our house! It's amazing how God provided...

We found it very easy to get distracted as we watched the value of our house get whittled away over the last 15 months it was on the market. We sold it for almost $80k less than we originally listed it for (which is the price a similar house across the street sold for that same month). As the price declined like a downhill skiing event, we got excited as a buyer made an offer the day after Christmas. Our real estate agent commented he had never seen this happen before. We told him we knew God was confirming what He wanted us to do. ;0)

The buyer made it clear she "had" to live in our neighborhood, and we settled on a price. As many of you know, the appraisal came in much lower than this. Here's where God made it clear it was time to trust Him... the house across the street came out of foreclosure and was now listed several thousand dollars less than our appraisal. The buyer was very aware of this, but specifically said she wanted to buy OUR home, because she said she "felt a special peace" in our home. We now know this was God at work, because He kept our buyer from running to what truly was a better financial deal across the street, and she chose to follow through on buying our home. It's amazing to have someone buy your home who truly LOVES it, and who was willing to listen in awe to our story of how God has been working in our lives. What a gift from God!

We just marvel at how God demonstrated how clearly He directs the things that are out of our control if we allow Him to. We now can rest in Him, knowing without a doubt that it is not our planning that will provide the financial means for us to move to Guatemala, but that our God and Creator of the universe is orchestrating all of this on our behalf. He Who called us will provide for us, and we choose to trust. :0)

Happy to Be Non-Homeowners!

After 15 months on the market, more showings than we can recall, more price drops than the clearance rack at Target, more hopes-up-then-down than we'd like to feel again, our house is no longer ours. And we are thrilled.
We're so thankful to have had five beautiful, memory-laden years in that home. We began our life there as a family of four, and left it as a full-blown family of five. Jackson's whole life was lived there, and he left it as he would say, "a BIG boy."
God even answered our prayers that the new owner would be someone who loved it and wanted it as much as we did. He is too good.
Thank you all for your prayers. Can't wait to see what our next dwelling place will be......

Miracles Still Happen

Yes, they do. And while our closing date is still one week (!) away, here's a little sample of the few things that have happened that, hmmm, could just not be a bunch of random coincidences.
1. An offer was made on our house on Dec. 26th. How often do you hear of that?? In this market??
2. The buyer said she had looked at hundreds of houses and felt a sense of peace when she walked through our door. She knew right away that it was the place.
3. We visited my older brother's church Sat. night. Because we walked in late, the pastor called out our names and introduced us to everybody. Because he did that, a lady came up to me afterward and said she was THE PERSON at the title company handling our closing. Our file was on her desk at that very minute. Cool!
4. Steve and Nate were hoping to go on a missions trip to Guatemala 2 days after Christmas. The trip got cancelled.If they'd gone, Steve would've been unavailable to see the offer, sign the offer, and start packing!
5. We had a garage sale on Friday, and did very well. However, an employee from the local Code Enforcement Office showed up and warned us that having a garage sale sign by the road constituted a misdemeanor (he let us off without any jail time). We had a sale scheduled for Saturday, too, and since we couldn't put the sign up, my dad stood by the road waving it (somehow, it's too dangerous to have a sign in the ground, but not to have a PERSON standing by the road). Because of this, we got SO much business. People coming out of the nearby restaurant after breakfast commented on it and stopped by, and a guy who owned a furniture store came and practically bought us out!

I'm sure we'll have more stories of how personal and good God is, so stay tuned.......