His Perfect Will

Mark had, what appeared to be, a very promising job lead. All signs were pointing to this being a great possibility... but yesterday that door closed. It is a huge disappointment, to say the least. At the same time, it was a job that would mean moving from St. Louis. When you have teenagers a move can be pretty traumatizing for them... So, we were praying hard that God would open and close doors according to His perfect will. We are disappointed, yet are thankful that God did not allow this situation to be ambiguous.

Consider it all JOY

On Friday I was praying over our finances and asked God for His provision, once again. Then, today we received a note from a friend (dated Thursday) saying that she had been praying God would provide enough money to take care of our needs as well as some spending cash for us to have fun with. Later that very day her family received some unexpected money in the mail, and she felt it was God's answer to that prayer. Isn't it amazing that I was praying about this on Friday, but on Thursday God was already working out the answer? I'm so thankful for this, and also thankful that friends continue to remember our situation in their prayers!

I guess we don't learn much until we have to apply it. I am understanding this is why God has to allow dark times to come into our lives. Developing faith and trust in Him is more important than our comfort...

"Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials,
knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.
And let endurance have its perfect result,
so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."

James 1: 2-4

Cast All Your Anxiety Upon Him Because He Cares for You

God is so good... I was feeling down and He reminded me of some needs he provided for over the past week or so that I should share with you! First of all, our son developed an bad infection in his toe, so we had to see a doctor over the weekend and then had to go to have some minor in-office surgery on it at a podiatrist's office. The kinds of things that cost big bucks if you don't have insurance. I have to say thank you to God and to my parents for the fact that we have the COBRA coverage.

Secondly, I had just received gift card from Walgreens... one I got it from rebates (they usually have "free after rebate" items each month and you can have the rebate put on a gift card)... and in God's perfect timing, we needed to get an antibiotic from Walgreen's for my son. Plus, the gift card had enough money on I was able to buy a couple of items we needed that just happened to be "free after rebate". So, recycling that money!

I already shared about our flexible spending account and how Mark's former employer was trying to keep the money... and Mark was eventually able to prove that their scenario (why they said we weren't entitled to withdraw from it) wasn't true. Over the weekend, we received the medical reimbursement checks for our claims in June and in the end we ended up getting every penny of our FSA money back! This is something we are extremely thankful and needed to have happen.

I also forgot mention, one Monday (2 weeks ago) I was offered some additional bread from the church which gives free bread.... it was excess they had leftover. Turned out, when I went at my regular time they were out of bread... so once again, he supplied the bread earlier in the week when HE knew we wouldn't get it on Friday!

"Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." 1 Peter 5:7

He continues to provide

I don't have exciting events to report... yet, God has provided in non-dramatic but very practical ways this week... through Mark and I both having birthdays this month (and the gifts that come with that!), a friend's gift which covered groceries (thank you, sister), medical refund checks that will help with school costs.... etc. Since the job loss, every true need we've had has been met. We've not asked anyone but God for assistance, and it has always been there when we've needed something. He's provided for us in so many ways... through family, friends, annonymous gifts, book sales, even rebates and insurance refunds..... always arriving at the time we had a need.

We continue to pray for God's direction. I believe that God is still working some things out in my heart through this (while He has a captive audience!)... I think that He is showing me that I haven't given everything in my life over to Him. I believe He has given me this verse to meditate on:

"For the eyes of the LORD move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His."

2Chron. 16:9

That promise just amazes me to no end.
Praying that my heart be completely his.

This Week

We will be spending the next week with my parents, so I won't be posting while we are gone. It will be nice to get away from the whole survivial mode for a week. If the Lord brings us to mind during this time, please continue to pray for us. We are still feeling very uncertain about where the Lord is directing us. I'd love to get some clarity on that this week!

If you are going through a trial similar to ours, you might wish to read the biography of George Muller, a man who ran orphanges in Bristol, England in the 1800s. He ran the orphanages entirely on faith.. he did not have any backing or regular funding from any souce. He did not publically share any needs the orphanges had, rather, he went to God, Himself, with every need they had. And, for years and years and years, God faithfully provided. This is a great quote from Muller... it expresses a confidence that only one who walks so closely to God can gain.... having the kind of intimate relationship that comes from spending much time with God and feasting daily on His Word.

"My dear Christian reader, will you not try this way? Will you not know for yourself . . . the preciousness and the happiness of this way of casting all your cares and burdens and necessities upon God? This way is as open to you as to me. . . . Every one is invited and commanded to trust in the Lord, to trust in Him with all his heart, and to cast his burden upon Him, and to call upon Him in the day of trouble. Will you not do this, my dear brethren in Christ? I long that you may do so. I desire that you may taste the sweetness of that state of heart, in which, while surrounded by difficulties and necessities, you can yet be at peace, because you know that the living God, your Father in heaven, cares for you."

Casting your cares, burdens and necessities upon God....

I've been reading the biography of George Muller, a man who ran orphanges in Bristol, England in the 1800s. He ran the orphanages entirely on faith.. he did not have any backing or regular funding from any souce. He did not publically share any needs the orphanges had, rather, he went to God, Himself, with every need they had. And, for years and years and years, God faithfully provided. This is a great quote from Muller... it expresses a confidence that only one who walks so closely to God can gain.... having the kind of intimate relationship that comes from spending much time with God and feasting daily on His Word.

"My dear Christian reader, will you not try this way? Will you not know for yourself . . . the preciousness and the happiness of this way of casting all your cares and burdens and necessities upon God? This way is as open to you as to me. . . . Every one is invited and commanded to trust in the Lord, to trust in Him with all his heart, and to cast his burden upon Him, and to call upon Him in the day of trouble. Will you not do this, my dear brethren in Christ? I long that you may do so. I desire that you may taste the sweetness of that state of heart, in which, while surrounded by difficulties and necessities, you can yet be at peace, because you know that the living God, your Father in heaven, cares for you."

discerning His will

Will you pray for us? We are trying to figure out why the "doors" we've tried so far have not opened, not even budged. We aren't sure if we're just trying the wrong doors, if the timing just isn't right yet... whether our direction is wrong altogether, etc. We're seeking and praying that He show us what our next step should be... we need to be discerning and could use your prayers. I was reading in 2 Corinthians chapter 1 today and Paul was saying that believer's prayers gained him favor. That struck me and affirmed to me how important it is that people are praying for us.

School Supplies

I hate spending any cash we have on anything other than groceries! So, it was bothering me a little that we needed some school supplies.... I had been thinking and praying about what, if anything, I should buy. Guess what?? I received my Office Depot awards credit in the mail (kind of like rebate I can spend in the store). I cannot use those award credits anywhere but the office supply store, so it cannot be used for groceries! :-) Looks like God is saying it is time to get those school supplies.

Thank you, Lord!

Update: We got the school supplies without keeping any tally... the total came to just .96 less than the awards credits! :-D Amazing.

A Display of His Glory

Tomorrow it will be two months since Mark was released from his job. I look back over these days and am in awe.... I could not have imagined that we'd make it even a month without Mark's income, to be quite honest. We've always had to live on a very tight budget and I just didn't think it was possible to live on less or budget more carefully than we already did! Mark didn't receive any kind of severance package, other than unused vacation pay so it is just miraculous... our loving Father has multiplied our "loaves and fishes".... And when I begin to worry, again and again God reminds me "the flour and oil will remain unempty until the rains come again"!

Even though we are only two months into the situation, we are already see God's hand and wisdom in it all.... Mark is out of a spiritually bad environment, out of a company that doesn't take good care of their employees, out of travel (which he had been praying for), and he has grown more spiritually than ever before. He had been praying to become a more caring, merciful, generous individual, and he believes that is all being born out of this experience. We've both grown much closer to God. I am learning a lot about releasing worries to God.... about trusting Him with it all... about faith and the reality of our God and all He is able and willing to do.

I can honestly say that I am thankful for the situation, although it is painful. But, I feel so honored, in a way.... I know that may sound strange.... but He has given us a "front seat view" to an amazing display of His glory! Every time He comes through with what we need at the precise moment we need it... I just want to fall down and worship... Trials and obstacles are just an opportunity for God to show us his love, power and presence in our lives!

Thank you to all of our amazing friends. I am praying that every person who has helped us through prayers, gifts, words of encouragement, etc. will receive blessings and that they, too, will see the awesome and amazing hand of God in their lives as clearly as we have. I pray that the faith of all who have been witness to this situation will become deeper and more true. And most of all, I pray that God might use our situation to win some into His fold... that they might gain the greatest gift of all... an everlasting relationship with Him.

Exalt the LORD our God
and worship at His footstool;
He is holy. Ps. 99:5

His Grace

If you check this blog very often, you know I haven't posted in a while... the last week has been totally consumed with wedding preparations! But, I think I am finally rested up and there are some blessings I'd like to share and give God praises for!

Our 2nd month's COBRA is taken care of, and was a major concern, so we are very thankful for that! We were also having major battle with Mark's former employer, who was trying to keep the money we had saved in our flexible spending account... and not reimburse us for medical expenses we'd incurred during June. I have been praying about this for weeks because I knew that the company was totally in the wrong, plus we could not afford to lose the money. I'd feel sick if I thought about it very long... I had to keep handing it back over to God. Mark had saved all of his paycheck stubs, and was finally able to prove that what they were telling us wasn't true and that we were entitled for medical reimbursements through the entire month of June. We are SO very thankful that it appears this battle may be won.... as we had hundreds of dollars in medical expenses we were going to have to try to pay, while losing all the money we had saved in the FSA... it was like paying twice for all of those things at a time when we have no income. (And, Mark, I will not complain about saving ALL of your pay stubs any more!!!)

A couple of "wow" moments... and will try to give the short version so this post isn't horribly long! The first being totally non-job loss related... Our son's wedding was to be held outside on his in-law's property. On the drive out there, the temperature was 95 degrees and we were really worried about the guests and wedding attendants getting ill from the heat. Amazingly and miraculously, a storm moved into the area... came within a few miles of the wedding site but no further. It cooled the temperature 20 degrees just before the wedding!!! Now, God would be good whether He gave us the cooler temps or not, but we asked and for some reason He said YES in a big way!

The other thing I wanted to share is that yesterday I needed to go to the Mills to return something bought for the wedding and not needed afterall.... the boys said they wanted to go to, "to get out of the house". I asked my daughter about going, but she was somewhat melancholy and said something about needing a dress and asked if I could buy one for her. I, of course, sadly told her "no, I can't, I'm sorry." But, I talked her into coming anyway to just spend some time together. As we went to the van, we got the mail out of the mailbox, and there was an envelope there for my daughter. It had a money gift inside with a note that SHE was to use the money. Now, once again, God is good regardless as to whether he provides things like this... but I think that HE knew that she needed this at this very, exact moment. The timing was absolutely a God-thing.

Thank you, Father for all you have done to display your Grace to us in so many ways.

Thanks to everyone for your continued prayers. It truly gets us through the most difficult days. Mark has applied for more jobs this week, continue to pray that the Lord direct his steps and opens the doors HE wants us to go through.