I had noticed that over these weeks since John's lay off we have received cash gifts from five different people that were of a certain (not exactly a round number) amount. One night this week it occurred to me that it is the exact amount of money that I tithe weekly.
Also this week we were given back the balance of some money we had given my cousin in the hopes of buying one of the computers her office was getting rid of when they bought new systems. The purchase hadn't worked out which was too bad, since it would have been a good deal and replaced our home computer that finally died. Oh well....
Some of the most significant blessings this week have been people--a sweet message from a friend, an email this morning from someone far away asking how we were getting along, a friend who suggested a blog that was wonderfully written, an hour chat with a person I rarely see but who holds a special place in my heart. Each of these gestures has reminded me how blessed I have been by the presence of good folks. It is remarkable how many amazing people God has let me cross paths with along the way. My life has been shaped by each of you.
In addition...
Two very kind someones sent us a card with a check enclosed.
We received two dozen eggs from a lovely lady.
I got an order for a colorized copy of my booklet and an order for a special card for a little girl fighting cancer.
Someone anonymously paid the fee so that Cade could play on the indoor soccer team he was hoping to join. I didn't see how we could swing the registration or the gas money to get him to the facility. I am especially grateful to God for this provision and for understanding folks who have considered our kids in this season. You bless a momma's heart!
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Friday, February 19, 2010
Don't Stop Believin'!
We wait and wait and wait to see a change occur. We walk forward with hours ticking away, days passing, monthly calendars being turned page by page, repeated new years chiming in without any evidence of something different.
How many American Christians have lost hope too soon, weaned as we are on an instant consumer society and raised in a “do what feels good” culture? Is it like this in the rest of the world, or is it a current pulse (no pun intended) of the planet that is now full of waves sending messages of all kinds scooting across the atmosphere non-stop and at blazing speed?
Some of the most amazing stories we have in scripture include main characters who have waited. Some even had to face the fact that God was too late for them—or so it seemed.
Captive Israelites in Egypt for four hundred years
A woman who had bled for 12 years
A man who sat by the pool of Bethsaida for 38 years trying to be the first into the water
A man whose daughter had died because Jesus was busy with another healing. (Who can explain that one?)
Or maybe the toughest one of all—that God himself had actually died, three days now in Joseph’s borrowed tomb.
During the times of waiting we seem particularly vulnerable to the voice of the enemy who seductively (and patiently, I might add) chips away at our hope. He is not in a rush to erode our trust in the God who is most powerful, ever loving, always for our best. We begin to let our hearts and minds drift away from the possibility that a prayer might be answered, a body healed, a mind restored to some kind of sanity, a new life begun.
But what might happen if we press on? What is possible if we hold on to the hope that God is working somewhere we cannot yet see?
Of course we know that sometimes God doesn’t fix our particular issue (like Paul’s thorn) and so we wrestle with the options and how to respond. I suspect that many times we chuck in the towel before He was quite done. We shift our attention to dealing with the problem another way or accepting what now seems inevitable, we alter our course and begin to embrace a different journey, lenses now adjusted to a different "truth."
I am acknowledging the fact that sometimes God doesn’t answer our prayers the way we hope He will. But I cannot give up the promise that He will never leave us or forsake us; He will continue always to work for our best. That is who He is. I must not give up hope that God is at work, in me, in those I love, in the situations of my life. He sees the bigger picture. He knows the many layers. He has a plan that He is unfolding.
Today I again challenge myself to believe. Believe that He wants life for us to the fullest according to His priorities. Remember the whole of His mission in His words: He has chosen me to preach the Message of good news to the poor, sent me to announce pardon to prisoners and recovery of sight to the blind, to set the burdened and battered free, to announce, “This is God’s year to act!”
Those words are still His mission for us, for this very day.
Don’t stop believin’!
How many American Christians have lost hope too soon, weaned as we are on an instant consumer society and raised in a “do what feels good” culture? Is it like this in the rest of the world, or is it a current pulse (no pun intended) of the planet that is now full of waves sending messages of all kinds scooting across the atmosphere non-stop and at blazing speed?
Some of the most amazing stories we have in scripture include main characters who have waited. Some even had to face the fact that God was too late for them—or so it seemed.
Captive Israelites in Egypt for four hundred years
A woman who had bled for 12 years
A man who sat by the pool of Bethsaida for 38 years trying to be the first into the water
A man whose daughter had died because Jesus was busy with another healing. (Who can explain that one?)
Or maybe the toughest one of all—that God himself had actually died, three days now in Joseph’s borrowed tomb.
During the times of waiting we seem particularly vulnerable to the voice of the enemy who seductively (and patiently, I might add) chips away at our hope. He is not in a rush to erode our trust in the God who is most powerful, ever loving, always for our best. We begin to let our hearts and minds drift away from the possibility that a prayer might be answered, a body healed, a mind restored to some kind of sanity, a new life begun.
But what might happen if we press on? What is possible if we hold on to the hope that God is working somewhere we cannot yet see?
Of course we know that sometimes God doesn’t fix our particular issue (like Paul’s thorn) and so we wrestle with the options and how to respond. I suspect that many times we chuck in the towel before He was quite done. We shift our attention to dealing with the problem another way or accepting what now seems inevitable, we alter our course and begin to embrace a different journey, lenses now adjusted to a different "truth."
I am acknowledging the fact that sometimes God doesn’t answer our prayers the way we hope He will. But I cannot give up the promise that He will never leave us or forsake us; He will continue always to work for our best. That is who He is. I must not give up hope that God is at work, in me, in those I love, in the situations of my life. He sees the bigger picture. He knows the many layers. He has a plan that He is unfolding.
Today I again challenge myself to believe. Believe that He wants life for us to the fullest according to His priorities. Remember the whole of His mission in His words: He has chosen me to preach the Message of good news to the poor, sent me to announce pardon to prisoners and recovery of sight to the blind, to set the burdened and battered free, to announce, “This is God’s year to act!”
Those words are still His mission for us, for this very day.
Don’t stop believin’!
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Blue Envelope and a Pasta Salad
Yesterday was remarkable.
We have had some stuck places in communication, and some less than stellar ways of dealing with our tensions. In the events of the last week there were some tough conversations (that were actually God's plow at work on our behalf) and the ones that unfolded afterward have begun to clear some obstacles from our path and start us toward a healthier way of living life together.
I am encouraged that even long-standing matters can change. Transformation is possible. We can become healed even after years and years of brokenness or dysfunction.
And on the heels of John and me pressing on to break through a wall, the mail arrived.
In the mix of the regular flyers and bills was a blue envelope. I recognized the handwriting immediately. It was from a high school friend with whom I reconnected at last summer's reunion. Recently I sent her a facebook message telling her I had been thinking back to our conversation from that August evening and asking how things were going in the situation she had shared. We ended up catching up with each other--their new house, our situation with John's lay off. I thought the card would be a "thinking of you" one. It was. But there was a surprise to be found.
This old friend had been lead to enclose a gift for us. I am deeply touched that she and her husband did such a thing. The timing seemed to be a kind of thumbs up for what John and I had just pressed on in--listening well to each other, choosing to love, and doing the right thing for our kids.
A while later I got a call from another dear friend. While John and I had been holed up talking in the back part of the house, she had come by and dropped off a delicious pasta salad that she had placed in our fridge.
In many ways the feast does come. God takes care of His kids, and blesses us when we are trying to walk well. It doesn't eliminate all the challenges of life, but He nudges us on, He loves when we trust Him through the hard stuff and try to live well. He encourages us when we lean in to do the best we know, even when we realize we won't get it all fixed immediately. He cheers us on. He helps us.
He really does.
John is still on the job hunt. Please continue to pray for the right door to open. Would you pray that it will (in spite of what the economy would indicate as possible/likely) be a really good fit for him, a delight to his heart, a place for his gifts to flow, and adequate for our financial needs?
We have had some stuck places in communication, and some less than stellar ways of dealing with our tensions. In the events of the last week there were some tough conversations (that were actually God's plow at work on our behalf) and the ones that unfolded afterward have begun to clear some obstacles from our path and start us toward a healthier way of living life together.
I am encouraged that even long-standing matters can change. Transformation is possible. We can become healed even after years and years of brokenness or dysfunction.
And on the heels of John and me pressing on to break through a wall, the mail arrived.
In the mix of the regular flyers and bills was a blue envelope. I recognized the handwriting immediately. It was from a high school friend with whom I reconnected at last summer's reunion. Recently I sent her a facebook message telling her I had been thinking back to our conversation from that August evening and asking how things were going in the situation she had shared. We ended up catching up with each other--their new house, our situation with John's lay off. I thought the card would be a "thinking of you" one. It was. But there was a surprise to be found.
This old friend had been lead to enclose a gift for us. I am deeply touched that she and her husband did such a thing. The timing seemed to be a kind of thumbs up for what John and I had just pressed on in--listening well to each other, choosing to love, and doing the right thing for our kids.
A while later I got a call from another dear friend. While John and I had been holed up talking in the back part of the house, she had come by and dropped off a delicious pasta salad that she had placed in our fridge.
In many ways the feast does come. God takes care of His kids, and blesses us when we are trying to walk well. It doesn't eliminate all the challenges of life, but He nudges us on, He loves when we trust Him through the hard stuff and try to live well. He encourages us when we lean in to do the best we know, even when we realize we won't get it all fixed immediately. He cheers us on. He helps us.
He really does.
John is still on the job hunt. Please continue to pray for the right door to open. Would you pray that it will (in spite of what the economy would indicate as possible/likely) be a really good fit for him, a delight to his heart, a place for his gifts to flow, and adequate for our financial needs?
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Track Shoes Back On
Yes, we've had daily manna, but in the thick of things here I realized I hadn't written for a week.
Times like these take a toll. Pressures are up. Communication is consumed by the things weighing in on minds that are trying to keep all the important things in view and do all the necessary things on a too-big list. Sleep becomes a bit scarce. The daily expectations and obligations don't lessen, though you feel less equipped to respond to them all.
And yet,
we have been the recipients of some lovely gestures that remind us that there is a bigger picture going on than the one whose voice seems to scream the loudest.
An anonymously-sent envelope was delivered to me at school, holding some cash.
Someone took on an opportunity to do a one time little job and gave the money from it to us.
I received a barely used warm winter coat!
I picked up someone for an event we were going to and they handed me gas/"taxi" money.
I was doing a deed to reciprocate for someone's sacrificial generosity to us recently and they then insisted on paying me for my time. (Is it fair when their mother delivers the money, saying she will be "hit" if I don't take it? No, it is not fair, but I suspect it was a line so they could persuade me to take the money. Thank you again for your kindness.)
I sold three more booklets.
Part of some money for something we were trying to buy at a good price (that didn't materialize) was returned, and the rest promised to come this week.
Those were the tangible things.
There were other provisions of encouragement, help, cheering on, job leads, and on and on it goes, daily streams of care that come our way. Honestly, it has been over a month now and with the gray February days it is easy to shift focus and get discouraged. I am grateful for the gestures of care in big and small ways that remind me to keep chin up and eyes focused. Nothing is different today in the promises of God than they were a month ago when this began to unfold. Yes, we get weary; God doesn't. We lose heart; His is full. Our resources can seem thin; His supply is ample. We tend to worry; He is quite confident in what He is doing and in working in our days to a great good.
I am aware that it is harder to see when the clouds are thick, but remember something Jenna said several years ago at about this time of the year. She was looking out our back windows and through the woods beyond. She commented that at this time of year (in the leafless, stark landscape) you can see farther. She's right. In many situations when things are stripped down to seemingly bare nothingness, you can actually see the truth/reality better.
It's perseverance time. Look to the finish line. Track shoes back on. Keep running the race.
Times like these take a toll. Pressures are up. Communication is consumed by the things weighing in on minds that are trying to keep all the important things in view and do all the necessary things on a too-big list. Sleep becomes a bit scarce. The daily expectations and obligations don't lessen, though you feel less equipped to respond to them all.
And yet,
we have been the recipients of some lovely gestures that remind us that there is a bigger picture going on than the one whose voice seems to scream the loudest.
An anonymously-sent envelope was delivered to me at school, holding some cash.
Someone took on an opportunity to do a one time little job and gave the money from it to us.
I received a barely used warm winter coat!
I picked up someone for an event we were going to and they handed me gas/"taxi" money.
I was doing a deed to reciprocate for someone's sacrificial generosity to us recently and they then insisted on paying me for my time. (Is it fair when their mother delivers the money, saying she will be "hit" if I don't take it? No, it is not fair, but I suspect it was a line so they could persuade me to take the money. Thank you again for your kindness.)
I sold three more booklets.
Part of some money for something we were trying to buy at a good price (that didn't materialize) was returned, and the rest promised to come this week.
Those were the tangible things.
There were other provisions of encouragement, help, cheering on, job leads, and on and on it goes, daily streams of care that come our way. Honestly, it has been over a month now and with the gray February days it is easy to shift focus and get discouraged. I am grateful for the gestures of care in big and small ways that remind me to keep chin up and eyes focused. Nothing is different today in the promises of God than they were a month ago when this began to unfold. Yes, we get weary; God doesn't. We lose heart; His is full. Our resources can seem thin; His supply is ample. We tend to worry; He is quite confident in what He is doing and in working in our days to a great good.
I am aware that it is harder to see when the clouds are thick, but remember something Jenna said several years ago at about this time of the year. She was looking out our back windows and through the woods beyond. She commented that at this time of year (in the leafless, stark landscape) you can see farther. She's right. In many situations when things are stripped down to seemingly bare nothingness, you can actually see the truth/reality better.
It's perseverance time. Look to the finish line. Track shoes back on. Keep running the race.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Winter Sun
There is no news yet on a job. What we have been told is that John is in the running with two other candidates and the interview process with all is underway. We will probably know more in a week to ten days. It seems like a long time. But as with the promise of spring, we wait. There are blessings in the snow too. The season (especially big snow storms) offers a pause in the regular flow of life, a chance to slow down and notice the blessings that surround us that are easy to take for granted.
We are experiencing God's presence. It is kind of like winter sun, always there even when the clouds are thick, when the wind is blowing, and the snow falls heavily. It stays close enough to keep the cycles of life moving forward, doing its good work of letting the activity settle, rest, and rejuvenate for the next season of growth. The weight of snow and ice sometimes break off limbs that seemed strong enough, revealing a weakness that we hadn't known. We remember that a good Father brings loving discipline when we need it, and allows pruning to occur in our lives.
There have also been remarkable words that have come in many ways and encouraged us with their timeliness. They are evidence of His strong tenderness and awareness of our needs.
There have also been gestures of His provision through some remarkable folks. Yesterday we received a card in the mail, with a check. We are grateful for the kindness and generosity of those who sent it--far away friends who have gone above and beyond more than once. It was kind of like seeing a friend pull up, smiling, shovel in hand when your car is off the road in a ditch. You cannot get it out alone; you need help, and help arrives, not begrudgingly, not able to melt off the storm, but willing to offer himself to move a few cubic yards of the stuff and muscle in beside you to get you back on the road.
Many of you have helped to ease the burden of these days. We are touched by the generosity of those in our lives, the variety of ways He has made each of you to reveal something about Himself. Someone reminded me the other night that this is the reason He gives His gifts to us--"Each person is given something to do that shows who God is: Everyone gets in on it, everyone benefits. All kinds of things are handed out by the Spirit, and to all kinds of people! The variety is wonderful..." (1 Cor. 12:7 The Message). Amen.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Kingdom
I really like to be in charge.
I like to have things go the way I want them, and I have all kinds of preferences.
It's really cool...God gave me a kingdom to run. A land of my very own!
He told me I could be in charge and make decisions on how it would be run.
I love having the options and the privilege to oversee a piece of time and space.
But I find I am not so good at running things.
My perspective is more askew than I had thought and things don't have the glorious results I had expected.
I've tried to do a good job, being attentive to the input of God as vice president of my kingdom.
(I think I'll let you consider that and finish the story yourself.)
Updates on the recent unfoldings and manna in the Hickumhousehold:
Between interviews John has been working on the house of our friend.
The piano she offered us (to sell and use the proceeds toward our bills) has sold.
I have sold several more booklets.
There have been many, many conversations about trust, and loads of opportunities to encourage others in their challenges as we walk through this one.
I received the best email of my life!
Last night a young man arrived (one of our favorite visitors) with three pizzas.
We should be hearing some feedback today on the second interview with a company that John had yesterday. It is a good job and would seem to be a good fit.
My lenses are adjusting. I am seeing these gifts of many kinds in new light, grateful for an active God who sees and acts. Each one seems to be a special message straight from His hand, reminding us over and over how able He is, and how much He loves us. My eyes are also more open now to the regular flow of provision. He has always done it, but have I always seen?
I know that whatever unfolds with the current interview or a yet-unknown job ahead, wherever God is taking us on this journey, we are not alone. He is a very good King, running well any territory we offer to Him.
I like to have things go the way I want them, and I have all kinds of preferences.
It's really cool...God gave me a kingdom to run. A land of my very own!
He told me I could be in charge and make decisions on how it would be run.
I love having the options and the privilege to oversee a piece of time and space.
But I find I am not so good at running things.
My perspective is more askew than I had thought and things don't have the glorious results I had expected.
I've tried to do a good job, being attentive to the input of God as vice president of my kingdom.
(I think I'll let you consider that and finish the story yourself.)
Updates on the recent unfoldings and manna in the Hickumhousehold:
Between interviews John has been working on the house of our friend.
The piano she offered us (to sell and use the proceeds toward our bills) has sold.
I have sold several more booklets.
There have been many, many conversations about trust, and loads of opportunities to encourage others in their challenges as we walk through this one.
I received the best email of my life!
Last night a young man arrived (one of our favorite visitors) with three pizzas.
We should be hearing some feedback today on the second interview with a company that John had yesterday. It is a good job and would seem to be a good fit.
My lenses are adjusting. I am seeing these gifts of many kinds in new light, grateful for an active God who sees and acts. Each one seems to be a special message straight from His hand, reminding us over and over how able He is, and how much He loves us. My eyes are also more open now to the regular flow of provision. He has always done it, but have I always seen?
I know that whatever unfolds with the current interview or a yet-unknown job ahead, wherever God is taking us on this journey, we are not alone. He is a very good King, running well any territory we offer to Him.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Sacrificial Giving
I have a friend who has significant physical difficulties that have plagued her for a long time. Yet she sent me a message the other day, offering to send us a meal on Sunday. I accepted, but only if when the day arrived and she was feeling otherwise, she could/should/MUST cancel. But the meal arrived (through her kind husband)--a delicious casserole, yummy salad, fluffy biscuits, sweet rolls, beverage.
It makes you stop and think. It touches you deeply when someone goes above and beyond.
It reminds me of Someone else I know.
Thank you!
Also: John's second interview with the Cleveland company will be on Wednesday afternoon. We would appreciate your prayers for that, as well as for some other curious things that are unfolding. Please pray that we would have discernment, patience, and courage in these days. We are incredibly blessed by your love for us, your encouragement, and your prayers. We are mighty rich folks!
It makes you stop and think. It touches you deeply when someone goes above and beyond.
It reminds me of Someone else I know.
Thank you!
Also: John's second interview with the Cleveland company will be on Wednesday afternoon. We would appreciate your prayers for that, as well as for some other curious things that are unfolding. Please pray that we would have discernment, patience, and courage in these days. We are incredibly blessed by your love for us, your encouragement, and your prayers. We are mighty rich folks!
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