tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80959312969763903672024-02-18T17:56:51.170-08:00Stones by the Road"Here by the water I'll build an altar to praise You, out of the stones that I've found here. I'll lay them down here rough as they are; knowing You can make them holy." Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02587382812669823711noreply@blogger.comBlogger66125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8095931296976390367.post-5833361769694635382018-06-23T13:15:00.001-07:002018-06-23T13:27:10.736-07:00God's Plans are Greater Than >This is long, but oh, so, good. Not one to skim, but something to read when you are taking a few moments to enjoy a coffee and a few moments with your feet up.<br />
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We have been in Canada 9 days. In 9 days God has answered 9 months of prayers in the most remarkable of ways. Within 24 hours of landing we were able to renew our driver's licences and re-establish residency on a temporary address. Within 5 days of landing Pietro received an official job offer at his previous place of employment, and it met every one of our prayer requests. Salaried position, flexibility to work from home, health insurance family plan, flexibility to schedule own hours around his class schedule. The job offer came with a few benefits that were above and beyond and are a huge help to us. Company vehicle, so we don't need to buy a 2nd vehicle for when Pietro is away for work, company phone, so we can get by with just one personal cell phone plan for me, and company equipment so I can inherit Pietro's laptop and finally have a working keyboard! Woo Hoo!<br />
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The same day Pietro accepted the job offer we were able to purchase a 2007 Honda Odyssey with all the specs we were looking for, and for the price we prayed for (no used car tax!). It also came with many perks we did not ask for such as winter tires and rims, blue tooth dvd player and sunroof. Because as I say, you can't outgive God and God takes pleasure in giving incredible gifts to his kiddoes.<br />
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On day 7 we took a road trip down to Caronport to look at houses. We looked at four houses, and it came down to two. Before I tell "the rest of the story" I need to go back and share the backstory on our house hunting in Caronport. It was probably late January or early February when we started watching the market in Caronport. There were only 2 houses listed at that time, and for quite some time after that; a 1974 4 bedroom bi-level with single attached garage, and a 1300 square foot 1 1/2 story character home that had been divided up into 3 suites, no garage.<br />
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A special someone taught us to be specific in asking God for our needs, and also for our desires. We invited people to do this with us when we moved to Italy and God surpassed our every need AND desire. We brought our needs and desires before God again and asked that His will would be done. Our needs were 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, single attached garage (Pietro says his age has earned him the right to make this a bonafide need, lol), large foyer or mudroom, sufficient dining room space for our large family and guests. Our <i>desires </i>were 5-6 bedrooms, suite potential, 2 bathrooms plus ensuite, home office, double attached garage with direct entry, yard that offered privacy.<br />
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As March approached we felt we should start knocking on some doors and since no other properties had come on the market, we made an offer on the 4 bedroom bi-level, praying that if it was not God's pick for us, He would shut the door. Another offer came in after we made ours, and they went with the other offer. A clear no.<br />
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To avoid making a long story even longer, suffice it to say this exact same or very similar thing happened to us with two other houses, and then one other house we didn't even get a chance to put an offer on because it was sold before it was even put on the market. By this time, there was really only one house on the market that could potentially work for our family. It was a very old, dated rental bungalow that didn't have much in the way of our needs/desires, but we are the kind of people who would settle for much less, and happily make do. So I began to pray about whether we should attempt to put an offer on that house. I remember this moment as clear as lightning and Pietro can attest to it because I recounted it to him right after it happened. I was sitting in the van waiting for him and as I presented this older bungalow to God in prayer I felt him clearly impress upon my heart "Why do you believe me for so little? If you only knew what I have in mind for you, it is far greater than your imagining and the meager provision you ask of Me. Believe Me."<br />
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I told Pietro this as soon as He got in the van while we were driving back to His mom's house. No sooner had we parked and were entering the house and Pietro received an email notification about a new house listed in Caronport. He opened up the listing and as he looked over the specs for the house I saw his eyes get big and his head go back in reaction. He said, "Here it is." He passed me the phone and without even looking at the specs I started just scrolling through pictures. My knee jerk, split second response was to laugh like Sarah must have laughed when she overheard the strangers discussing her prospective pregnancy. Quite literally. I laughed just like that, and responded just like that. "In. My. Dreams." And handed the phone back.<br />
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And that was that. I didn't even entertain a single thought about that house or open that listing up again although it has been on the market for three months. Until.... about two weeks ago. I was presenting another not ideal property to God in prayer and I felt this strong impression: "I have already shown you the house of My choosing. You rejected My choice, why do you keep asking Me?" With this thought I envisioned the moment Pietro showed me that house, and my reaction and I felt a wave of conviction and realization that it was true. It was SO clear, and we dismissed it without giving it any consideration because it was greater than our imaginings. Again, I told Pietro about this right when it happened.<br />
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We decided to just "wait and pray" until we could go to Caronport in person, which we did on Wednesday. While we were in Caronport we found out that one of the houses that had been conditionally sold for some time, was going back up for private sale in the coming days. We went to see it, and it became a definite potential house for us to put an offer on. It was a 1200 square foot 1970's bi-level with 5 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms plus ensuite, single attached and double detached garage, large foyer and back entry mudroom, private office and walk in closet off the master. Beautiful outdoor space. It was the first house we looked at that we really LIKED. They were asking $350,000.<br />
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The same day we went to look at the "In my dreams" house. If we liked the other house, we loved this house. A 1476 square foot bungalow with walk out ICF basement with in floor heat, 4+2 bedroom, 2 bathroom plus en-suite, 1 or 2 bedroom walk out suite with the option to keep the one bedroom with the family portion of the house or the suite portion, double attached garage with direct entry, situated on the edge of town just off a quiet crescent cornering the school field and overlooking the prairie sunset with no houses behind or on the one side, even a town road allowance between the house and the closest neighbor on the other side. Perfectly situated next to the elementary school, and just a block and a half from the college. The clincher for us was the price. Even $350,000 was more than we had planned on investing in a house, and this one was listed at $375,000. The sellers of the $350,000 house were not entertaining lower offers as they already had a conditional offer at that amount.<br />
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The morning after we looked at the houses, we got the surprise notification that our container had arrived in port quite a few weeks earlier than expected. Like Shasta and Bree in C.S. Lewis' story of the Horse and His Boy, we felt that this was "the lion at our flanks", pressing in and urging us forward. But which house to make the offer on? After praying, thinking and discussing we felt that we had nothing to lose in putting an offer for $350,000 for the newer, more expensive home with revenue potential and more space and flexibility. Again, we committed it to God that if this was His will for us, He would open the door, and if not, that He would close it. We were happy with either house and confident that we were placing it in God's hands. They accepted our offer well before closing time without any counter offer or amendments. As one dear friend put it, "Houston, we have a house!"<br />
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We prayed that we would be confident and that God would be glorified in His care and provision for us as and boy, oh boy.... He is never one to disappoint those who put their trust in Him. Once again I am humbled and astounded by His mercy and grace and His "greater than" provision towards our family.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02587382812669823711noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8095931296976390367.post-52639277630960619932018-04-29T04:54:00.000-07:002018-04-29T05:25:51.415-07:00Whither Then? I Cannot Say.When I first began blogging about our faith and ministry journey over four years ago, I was reading the Hobbit to my boys. So many parallels gripped me that I called this blog "The Road to Middle Earth"; Middle Earth being the English transliteration of "Mediterranean". The picture on my blog header was a backdrop for the Tolkien quote I chose as my heading:<br />
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My blogging changed themes shortly after we arrived on the field and it became Stones in the Road, based on a favorite Steve Bell song of mine. Its purpose has been to testify to God's goodness and faithfulness along the way. He has been so good. He has been so faithful. And we have no doubt that good and faithful He will be.<br />
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At the time of choosing the Tolkien quote early on in our journey, it was the first part that really resonated with me. Now, it is the last line. The last line really says it all when it comes to our current reality. Wither then? I cannot say.<br />
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In just under one month we will be shipping our belongings to Canada. We know the province. That is about all we know. A few months ago we thought we had a pretty good idea of how to work this all out in a way that made sense to us. Since Pietro wants to take preaching, leadership and counseling classes at seminary, and our oldest daughter is beginning college on the same campus this fall, we could help cut living expenses for her by moving there for the next four years, be part of a small christian community where our younger kids could attend christian school and Pietro could find work in nearby Moose Jaw (we had a few leads at that time) while fitting studies around work. We could picture this nice, neat package that seemed a wonderful fit for all of our family's needs.<br />
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The job possibilities were closed doors. Housing has been CLEAR closed doors. Caronport High School is actually a private school and therefore any expenses we could have helped reduce for Shailey would be eaten up by private school tuition for our other kids. And so we are left questioning our nice, neat, four year plan and learning to say, "If not this, wither then....?" and learning to drift on the current of "I cannot say".<br />
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We feel like this is another big "<a href="http://familycara.blogspot.it/2015/03/wait-for-it.html" target="_blank">Wait For It</a>" moment in our lives and this time I am really trying to do better, to not wrestle through it like a caterpillar trying to break from the cocoon before its time. I still find myself wriggling at times, but I catch myself and still myself, and find my rest in the flow of the current better than I have in the past.<br />
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One open door we have seen is the provision of a pre-approved mortgage despite the fact that we have no job security (yet). Not only that, it provides us with maximum flexibility (pay as often as you can and as much as you want, or don't pay at all and they will collect interest from our church building project investments at the end of the year). This has been a miraculous answer to prayer, because the honest truth is that with the largest portion of our money from the sale of the farm tied up in our home church building project until 2030, with no job prospects and no income, we definitely don't fit ANY of the standard criteria for a mortgage! But God opened that door so wide for us, in a way that was far beyond anything we would have ever dreamed or asked. So when God does reveal the "whither then", we will be able to move expediently to secure housing!<br />
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Until then, He has provided us with a place to stay in our home town of Waldheim until the first week of August (barring the 14-24th of June, if you know of a place we could crash during that period that would be another answer to prayer) and He has given us more confidence in being able to say the words (and be content in saying them): "I cannot say." Where will you be living? I cannot say. What will you be doing? I cannot say. Where will your kids be going to school? I cannot say. What are your plans for the future? I cannot say. The one thing we can say with complete confidence is that although we do not know WHAT the future holds, we know WHO holds the future.<br />
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We have had a lot of questions about Pietro's plans for seminary, and what our long term plans are and even those have become increasingly "we cannot say". We do feel increasingly that it is a time in life where we must show care and concern for our kids emotional, educational and social needs, and we do see providing stability and opportunity for them as a large priority for the next ten years until the youngest one comes of age. Since financially it will not be saving us money to live in Caronport, and since doors are not opening in Caronport area for employment and since employment is going to be the important clincher for location, we feel that once the other details of our lives fall together, we will see if, how and when Pietro can fit a class or two a year around holidays and in his spare time through the modular courses offered at Briercrest.<br />
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And what about Italy, you ask? We cannot say. Although the dream and the willingness is there if and when God were to open the door in the future for us to return, we have been cautioned and have come to a feeling of conviction we are NOT to put any timeline, or even a definitive stamp of self assurance on our return to Italy at this point. By no longer trying to force a timeline of our own devising, we can focus on living fully in the next chapter of life to continue serving, growing, learning and living out our mission wherever (and for however long) God deems fit to plant us.<br />
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<b>Please pray with us that we would continue to have absolute confidence in God's plan and provision for our family, when it comes to our community, our home, our employment, our continued formation and "place in His plan". </b>We might not be able to say "wither then" but we can confidently say, "wherever and whatever lies ahead of us, we know Who goes before us, we know Who stands behind: the God of angel armies is always by our side!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02587382812669823711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8095931296976390367.post-25442139904761155242018-04-07T05:10:00.000-07:002018-04-07T05:18:05.097-07:00Patchwork PiecesOne of the biggest challenges that I have personally grappled with over the past four years is a paradox between desiring to be directed by God, and the need to, in a way, "have a plan"- to present to our agency, sending church and partners. In order to do the second, you need to try to discern the first, but pressure often leads you to feel the need to have this upfront, in advance of when it is revealed. While we have found that the discipline of setting and holding ourselves accountable to our ministry vision, mission and objectives have helped keep us focused and protected us from being pulled in any and every direction, they also, due to our own shortcomings, have taken on a life of their own that can very easily distract us from that open 'unknowing and watching' to be merely participants in what God is doing.<br />
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In my quiet time this morning I was given the picture of a patchwork quilt. So many pieces to sort through, to cut to size, to fit together, and to stitch together one edge at a time. Within a quilt there are patterns of patches that are designed to fit against one another, working together to merge into a whole. What washed over my heart is that I am not the quilter in the story of my life. We are not the pattern setters in the story of our comings, our goings, our direction, our final pattern. God is. I am the quilt in progress. And my life is made up of a million circumstances and details, colors and patterns. Why is it, that even knowing this, so many times in the daily grind I want to be the one to design this story, to bring the pieces together and see it take shape. Or, in moments of conviction, I realize that this is not my place; but still I strain mentally to try to discern the pattern emerging from the pieces. Like a child looking at an optical puzzle, so often I make out a picture hidden within the picture while missing the big picture completely. </div>
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A dear friend told me yesterday "I feel like I am a number of steps behind in following your journey" to which I replied, 'No, more likely just finding it hard to keep step.' Because as we try to find our way forward, I can honestly say my own steps are faltering at best and at worst I expend a lot of energy pointlessly breaking bush that God has not yet bulldozed before us. So how can I do merit to that in a ministry letter? Sometimes long stretches go buy where I ask myself, "What can I say? We need to say something. We need a plan. We need a goal. We need answers. Well friends, it's easy to make a plan. Especially if you love to plan and dream and pursue dreams. It's a lot harder to just let the pieces of your life take shape as the Master stitches away one piece at a time.</div>
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Do you want to know the real, messy, vulnerable truth? As much as we would like to, as much as we have strived to, we realize with increasing humility that we don't know for sure what our future holds. We have felt obliged to 'have a plan' for the sake of our partners, we have sought to piece the patches together as best we can fathom, but the honest truth is we are probably doing an infantile job of it. Living in confidence of the Who and the What and the Why rather than the Where, the When, and the How, this is the discipline we are being challenged to learn. </div>
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We have seen how God sewed the pieces of our past and our last four years together to do something beautiful within us, we do believe without any doubt this was His perfect timing and plan for us. Now He is picking up different pieces, new pieces, old pieces you might even say, and continuing to work this unique pattern of our story that is rich with two worlds, two cultures, two places. But we can't be in two places at once. We can only be in one stitch in time and live fully in the moment. </div>
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Yesterday I was hit with the realization that, while not resisting or rebelling against the pattern that is shaping around our lives, I have not been embracing what God has next. I have been trying to just skip jump it and live in the dream of where it will lead. Which, if I am going to apply this lesson, I need to learn to say were it <i>might </i>lead. Living in the future is as futile as living in the past; I can only live fully present in the next moment. Because the next is the now, and the now is all we have. And so I fight all that is in me to stop trying to piece together the patches. To try to see my part as becoming nothing but thread, nothing but present and pliable in the hand of the Master Quilter who is stitching something bigger than I can see from my vantage point. To be present in the moment of one single stitch in time and to trust that He is creating something beautiful.</div>
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'Our lives are like patchwork quilts. When we view the pieces of our lives- joys, sorrows, health, illness, marriage, obedient children, willful children- when we can't see the pattern. We're so close to what's happening at the moment that we can't see the whole. But the Master Craftsman, the Ultimate Quilter, Father God, is at work. From our vantage point we can't see that God is creating something beautiful, but He is.' Gwen Ellis, By His Pattern.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02587382812669823711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8095931296976390367.post-65177185008683881032018-03-17T18:55:00.003-07:002018-03-17T19:58:20.495-07:00Here by the WaterI miss my Dad tonight. I miss him every night, but especially tonight. I think back to all the times I wanted so badly for him to tell me what he would do, to tell me what to do, to give me the confidence that I was making the right choice. I trusted his judgement so much, his wisdom, his experience.<br />
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Now here I am, all grown up, with a wise husband and an ever growing arsenal of experience of my own, and better yet, confidence. Not self confidence, but in the One who leads, and goes before us. Confidence in His voice, in His plan, in His timing and in His power. Confidence in God is a beautiful thing, the kind of confidence that allows you to face the Red Sea and know that you are right where God wants you to be, that there is no obstacle, only opportunity.<br />
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Tonight my heart rejoices to bursting, not because God has answered my prayer in leading us to the "next home" he has lined up for us, but because when we find ourselves being led to a wall of water in our path, our hearts skip a beat. We know what happens next. We know the One whose one breath effortlessly opens a path in the midst of the water. Our journey has seasoned us. It has brought us opportunity to press in to the character of God, find Him faithful, generous, extravagant in our regards. He has given us a home here in Italy that is like a mansion in glory. We didn't ask for that, we didn't merit that, we couldn't in a million years afford that, but He gave it to us for a pittance more than the price of a little apartment in a busy high rise. Why? Because He is loving and gracious, and good, and that is all.<br />
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I could not be happier tonight as I stand with my toes at the water's edge. We moved forward confidently in God's timing, and with God's direction on looking ahead to our next housing. We made an offer with absolute confidence and confirmation that it was the price God was putting on our hearts to offer. We committed it to God, and wanted nothing less than His best for us, whatever that looked like. We listened, we acted, we waited, and the waters did not part. They parted for someone else, but stayed placid and immovable at our feet. We felt no disappointment in that outcome, no discouragement, no fear, no second guessing. Do you know what we felt? Excitement. Anticipation. Confidence.<br />
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Our next address, is still claimed by someone else but we know that God is already at work, in their lives as He is in ours, to move us into place when the timing is perfect for both parties. We know that just as God led the Israelites to homes they had not built, and gardens they had not planted, God already knows our forwarding address. The Red Sea Rules was my Dad's favorite book. I find it impossible to have one favorite book, but I gotta say, this one's in my top five, for sure. I wish my Dad could be here to put his big, strong hand on my shoulder tonight, looking across the water with expectation and a chuckle. He showed me by example what he was always reluctant to put into words, and now I understand why. He wanted my confidence to be in the One who would always go before me, always be by my side, and always show me the way, step by step, day by day.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02587382812669823711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8095931296976390367.post-38725331254509833132018-01-28T23:01:00.001-08:002018-01-28T23:01:52.439-08:00Certain of... God<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3a3635; line-height: 45px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">"God speaks in the language you know best— not through your ears, but through your circumstances. God has to destroy our determined confidence in our own convictions. We say, “I know that this is what I should do” — and suddenly the voice of God speaks in a way that overwhelms us by revealing the depths of our ignorance." </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">These words by Oswald Chambers hit me right in the feelers this morning. In that gently convicting way that He has, God had already been peeling back layers of my heart to reveal that I do this All. The. Time. And if I am going to get wise I need to Stop. Doing. That.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Here I stand, just over the surprise that there is a switchback in our road that we had not foreseen. Here I stand, having learned enough by this time to gather my bearings relatively quickly (comparatively speaking), lean into the curve and look ahead with expectation to what lies around the bend. Here I stand, not quite wise enough to stop myself from trying to mentally map out where this is all going and establish a detailed itinerary and ETA for final destination.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Decent pass on the first part of the assignment, miserable fail on the second. I love details, I love planning, dreaming, executing, checking off neat little boxes. Unfortunately those qualities aren't in the least bit compatible with a life of "trust and obey". </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I pray this time I will learn the important difference between expectancy and certainty. I pray this time I will keep my feet moving, but my mind at rest; abandoned to God, engaged in the next step, certain only in He who leads and the knowledge that the journey will be worth every step.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxNSQGH8RGsdiU38tm9_HS-2ltlwrHaTQMe8SRPuaSS41Cbk_hyphenhyphenhLgo1D2KhpHhkLJCcPGRPZ1ysOZoecjFKN-T5BODpQXArLoVEYtNCzU62N7b8ce9nwSJMxvHOF8ItKKi9hwC89Mt4TH/s1600/e458128e0ef70c29fbb54e9a88a5b3b6--small-things-blog-oswald-chambers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="425" data-original-width="600" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxNSQGH8RGsdiU38tm9_HS-2ltlwrHaTQMe8SRPuaSS41Cbk_hyphenhyphenhLgo1D2KhpHhkLJCcPGRPZ1ysOZoecjFKN-T5BODpQXArLoVEYtNCzU62N7b8ce9nwSJMxvHOF8ItKKi9hwC89Mt4TH/s400/e458128e0ef70c29fbb54e9a88a5b3b6--small-things-blog-oswald-chambers.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02587382812669823711noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8095931296976390367.post-64694900791666978272017-12-11T07:22:00.001-08:002017-12-11T09:41:15.794-08:00Curves in the RoadThis fall the first of multiple road signs came into sight, catching our attention and beginning to alert us to check our speed and be attentive because a curve in the road was up ahead. Little did we imagine it would be a hairpin curve that seems to be leading us directly away from the destination where we feel led and and called to minister. This is hard for our minds and hearts to grasp because it seems contrary to our human logic and reasoning. And yet I am coming to understand the limitations of this line of reasoning, because life isn't linear and curves are inevitable. They are not definitive and they are not final. They are not the end of the road, they are just a part of the road.<br />
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I don't know why this is such a difficult concept to grasp, when experience has shown it time and time again to be true, but roads are seldom linear. My mind is drawn to linear things. Or at least to what *I* think of as linear; ie: concretely linear.... "arranged in or extending in a straight line." But as a reader and a writer I know that linear narrative looks very different from the definition of linear as stated above. A linear narrative involves progressing from one stage to another in a series of steps or stages, it is sequential, forming a logical order to a logical outcome, but not always predictable.<br />
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So in my limited human reasoning, if I started at point A and believed my final destination to be point Z, I would expect and desire points B-Y to be predictably planted in a nice straight line as the crow flies all serving to speed me on my way to point Z. But God's concept of linear is something else entirely, a road designed not to get us from point A <i style="font-weight: bold;">to </i>Z tout suite, as much as <i style="font-weight: bold;">through </i>curves B to Y, each one of them a mile marker in their own right on our journey toward sanctification and spiritual maturity. And sanctification doesn't happen in the express lane.<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #2c3e50; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">“God called the Israelites out of slavery and into the Promised Land, but then He made </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #2c3e50; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">them </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #2c3e50; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre;">wait for 40 years. God asked Samuel to anoint David as king, but then David had </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #2c3e50; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre;">to wait in </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #2c3e50; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre;">great peril during Saul’s reign before becoming king. Paul was converted and </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #2c3e50; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre;">charged with a </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #2c3e50; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre;">mission to reach the gentiles, but he took years before starting his </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #2c3e50; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre;">ministry. Even Jesus didn’t </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #2c3e50; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre;">begin acting in His “official calling” until the wedding at </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #2c3e50; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre;">Cana. You might know exactly how </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #2c3e50; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre;">God wants to give heavenly purpose to your life, and </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #2c3e50; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre;">you might even be tasting it right now in </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #2c3e50; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre;">what seems like the perfect opportunity, but if </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #2c3e50; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre;">your spouse is not on board and your marriage </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #2c3e50; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre;">is not elevated, then God might just be </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #2c3e50; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre;">kindly giving you a glimpse of what is to come and </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #2c3e50; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">asking you to wait. To wait until you </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #2c3e50; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">are ready, until your spouse is ready </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #2c3e50; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">(or your kids)</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #2c3e50; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">, to </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #2c3e50; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre;">wait until the world is ready…” </span><br />
<a href="http://www.startmarriageright.com/2016/06/when-your-calling-pulls-you-from-your-marriage/" style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre;" target="_blank">Lindsay Hall</a><br />
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When we started this journey into overseas ministry I was reading The Hobbit to our sons. I found so many heart wrenching parallels to our life within its pages. I never imagined that having once braved the 'There' aspect of the journey: embarked into the unknown, reached the destination, faced the dragon, we might continue to find parallels within its pages about the 'and Back Again' part. How anti-climactic. That part definitely seems less adventuresome and romantic.<br />
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And yet here we are. Having reached what we believed to be our destination only to find out this is only curve ___ in the journey, and that sometimes, unexpectedly we find ourselves at a curve in the road that appears to be leading us in the WRONG direction. Because we are programmed to think that FORWARD equates with "in the same direction". So we stand there scratching our heads and questioning everything. That can't possibly be right. Somehow the signs must have been tampered with. THAT is the direction we came from and this THIS on the other hand, is the direction we embarked on and must take if we hope to reach point Z.<br />
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But we mustn't minimize curves C-Y. We mustn't try to skip corners or think that stubbornly deciding to break our own trail in the direction we think we need to be going is going to be more efficient or logical. If there is a bend in the road, there is a reason. Roads are designed to lead us around, over, under, through unpredictable terrain, and sometimes they seem to be completely counter-intuitive to where we think we should be going. But if every point holds something we need at our destination, some experience, some tool, some purpose, then we must take each curve and await with anticipation and expectation the view and experiences that await us around the bend. This is another way that joy in the journey can continue to be found, learning to lean into the curves.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02587382812669823711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8095931296976390367.post-84807633191603260232017-09-06T13:01:00.000-07:002017-09-06T13:01:23.280-07:00One Word<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Increasingly in recent years I have been coming to filter everything in the christian life through the lens of one simple word. Relationship.</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><br />
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If we were to sum up the gospel, the good news, I think we could use this word as the theme. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">God created humanity to be in relationship with Him. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When mankind rejected God, God pursued us by sending His son Jesus to earth to live in relationship with us and to show us what right relationship with God looks like. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ultimately Jesus sacrifice was done with a heart intent on redemption and reconciliation of our broken relationship with God. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Our restored relationship with God places us into His family, a relationship illustrated by being one body with many parts. As His children we are called to be His ambassadors, reconciling the world to Him by declaring His desire for relationship.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The more I think about it the more I am convinced </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">the gospel, the christian life and christian missions can ultimately be wrapped up in this one word. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Relationship. Picture the christian life like a three legged stool, where each leg represents a different sphere of relationship. One leg represents our relationship WITH God, one our relationship toward each other WITHIN the family of God and the third our relationship to those WITHOUT, others in the world. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Each of these legs are necessary to make the whole of a child of God. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If we are not growing in our intimacy WITH God, not growing in love towards one another WITHIN God’s family, we can not be effective ambassadors to those WITHOUT. On the flip side If we are only concerned about our own personal relationship with God, we are one legged and missing two thirds of His purpose for us. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It might seem simple to wrap so much up into one word. But we all know that being in relationship is anything but simple. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I read a book recently that really caused me to evaluate my way of looking at my relationship with God. The book was based on just one word as well. WITH. It’s such a common, ordinary word, but I can’t say those words WITH GOD now without it being pregnant with meaning for me. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In a nutshell the book talks about five general stances or postures that can come to influence our view of God and as a result the way we relate to him. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The first stance is one of a life lived OVER God. This is where we live life oblivious to or at times even rebellious toward the authority of God in our lives. In a life OVER God stance our own will, emotions, dreams and desires are what dictate our choices and plans and we feel no guilt over that, because we believe it is completely within our own rights to decide our own destiny. In a life OVER God stance it is not that we don’t believe in the existence of God, but that we don’t think His existence has much if anything to do with the day to day workings of our life. We may even “fit him into our calendar” weekly, or daily, and go to Him with our prayers and petitions, but our hands remain firmly on the wheel, our foot on the gas or the brakes at all times.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The second stance is a life lived UNDER God. This is where we live life acutely aware of the authority of God in our lives. We are aware of His holiness, and our fallenness. of righteousness and unrighteousness. We place importance on rules and rule following, right and wrong. Life under God is often characterized by a strong interest in </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">obedience </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">and </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">righteousness</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The third stance is life derived FROM God. This is where we live life acutely aware of our dependence God being our source and our supply. We recognize that all we have is from him and all we need can be found in Him. We place importance on TRUSTING God, BELIEVING God and THANKING God. Life derived FROM God is often characterized by growing </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">trust </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">and </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">faith</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The fourth stance is one of a life lived FOR God. This is where we live life acutely aware of all that God has done for us and in love and worship and passion, we want to give back. We want to live sold out, completely surrendered, we want our life to count and we want purpose and meaning that accomplish things FOR God and His kingdom. Life lived FOR God is often characterized by </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">sacrifice </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">and </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">service</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Contemplating these stances was like looking in a mirror for me. I can see myself in each of these stances at different stages of life. Early on in our married life we lived our lives OVER God, plotting our own course and largely oblivious to what God might desire or require of us. Then about four years ago we felt strongly convicted to place every aspect of our lives UNDER the sovereign control of God, and the words surrender and Lordship became very pivotal for us. Since we left for the mission field we can see how these last two stances of life FROM God and life FOR God have come to the forefront and been magnified in our thinking. </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">All of these stances kind of remind me of my children as they went through various stages of growth and development, and the way it affected our parent child relationship. Like a toddler must learn obedience, and a child must learn respect, and a teenager must learn responsibility. These stances are stages we move through as we are learning how to relate to God. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">if we are looking at the gospel through the lens of relationship, it is ultimately not a stance of life over, under, from or for God so much as life lived intimately WITH God that is our invitation. This is where we live life acutely conscious of, in communion WITH, in love WITH and on mission WITH God. When you think of it this way there is a vast difference between life lived WITH God and life lived FOR God. In life WITH God the focus becomes the relationship, rather than the rules, the provision or the purpose. Those things will all be there, but they will be products of the relationship rather than define our relationship.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When you are aware of it the Bible just overflows with “withs”. Jesus said, surely I am WITH you till the end of the age” and God says that he has raised us up to rule WITH Christ, and that He will give us the right to sit WITH Him upon His throne. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I challenge you when you are reading the Old Testament to look at each story through the lens of relationship. Adam walked with God in the garden. Enoch walked with God. Noah, Abraham, Moses, Elijah, were all noted for their intimate personal relationships with God. Even the 10 commandments take on new meaning when you consider them through the lens of relationship. The first 5 protect our right relationship with God, and the second 5 protect our relationships within society.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Obviously if we are living life WITH God, we are called to be in relationship not only WITH Him, but WITHIN His family. We don’t just get a Heavenly Father, we inherit a whole lot of relations. I will be honest with you. This is sometimes the place I have the most struggle. It’s easy for me to be patient and kind with those who don’t know any better but my patience often runs thin for those in my own family, and in God’s family too. Much of our ministry is based on teaching about stages of spiritual growth and how to disciple people to spiritual maturity. I have to remind myself often that other people’s spiritual </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">growth </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">is not my goal. Bringing people into right relationship WITH God and with each other is the goal, growth will be the result. Again, looking at everything through the lens of relationship. This makes my work so much simpler and fulfilling. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So much could be said about our relationships with each other </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>within </i></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">the family of God. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Read the New Testament through the lens of relationship and you will be struck by how much of the epistles are full of advice on how to protect and promote relationship within the family of God, 1 Cor 13 is often referred to as the love chapter, but even this I have come to view as the relationship chapter. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Finally. As a church, God has made those of us </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>within </i></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">His family ambassadors to the world </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>without</i></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, to be in relationship with the lost and to invite others into relationship with Him. We can not share what we do not possess. In order to invite people into relationship with God, our relationship WITH Him needs to be such that it backs up what we say about Him. Our relationships </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>within </i></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">the body need to be governed by the fruit of the spirit as well as grace and humility. Our heart for the lost needs to be one of deep love, not just a puritanical commitment to fulfill the great commission.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In all of this, Jesus is our example. As I look at Jesus life through the lens of relationship I become more and more aware of how intentional and focused He was on relationships. He didn’t write books, he didn’t book amphitheatres and hold crusades. I highly doubt he would have had a facebook or twitter account. He ministered for the most part in the context of personal connection and relationship, even though at times that context grew to include great crowds.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This leads me to my final observation of what I am learning in my own life. Relationships require energy. Lots of energy. Our energy is limited. Especially if we are introverts. Even Jesus energy and sphere of influence was limited. I am struck by how many times in the gospels it quietly states “jesus withdrew to a solitary place”, or Jesus withdrew from the crowd with his disciples or something to that effect. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Don’t you find it interesting that Jesus didn’t do a European tour, a Middle Eastern tour or even a 12 tribes of Israel tour. His ministry was very localized and for the most part centered around 12 men, 3 to an even more intimate degree. In Gethsemane the night before he was crucified he made a statement that has really come to have a huge impact on both Pietro and I. He said “I have completed the work for which I was sent.” He was not referring to the work of the cross here. The subject of this prayer is not the cross at all, it’s his disciples. The entire prayer is about how he had completed the role of disciple maker with his disciples. He was confident that he had impacted those who had been </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">chosen by the Father</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> for Him to impact, he refers to them as “the ones you gave me” </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This is very freeing for me. I can not be in relationship with every lost, hurting, needy person on the planet. I am so thankful God has revealed this to me because if he hadn’t I am sure I would be suffering from compassion fatigue, exhaustion and breakdown. Although we are called to love all, I can’t be a friend, mentor, or servant to every person that crosses my path. But I am becoming more and more in tune with that still small voice that says “this one. Be a friend to this one. Mentor this one. Serve this one. As well as the voice that says “not this one.” Jesus said “Come to me all you who are weary, for my yoke is easy and my burden is light”. I am learning more and more what that means. When he tells me “this one” He is already at work in that person’s life, it’s like the soil is already plowed and he is merely inviting me to fall into step with him and scatter seed in the trail he is blazing. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Like Jesus, with his disciples, our greatest and most lasting impact can occur as a result of our closest relationships. The impact being in relationship with him for 3 ½ years had on 12 ordinary men, ultimately impacted the world and each one of us. Like my lady on the step, our greatest impact might happen when and where we least expect it, and we might not even realize it. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIBlbf-Ji2QnLlWHLEDyIDO7Uv9azR2QZmd5aldAuH3RCccGpjTvQb9ya4ba-z2BTkSefwC2NC4pJABjiNZnpJhP3-N0kB9EO63Chs5sinADPoQW3lnKUYty0eVAHV14TxWyxHiJ7dpJAH/s1600/download+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="177" data-original-width="284" height="398" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIBlbf-Ji2QnLlWHLEDyIDO7Uv9azR2QZmd5aldAuH3RCccGpjTvQb9ya4ba-z2BTkSefwC2NC4pJABjiNZnpJhP3-N0kB9EO63Chs5sinADPoQW3lnKUYty0eVAHV14TxWyxHiJ7dpJAH/s640/download+%25281%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02587382812669823711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8095931296976390367.post-68773998820434974532017-07-17T20:14:00.001-07:002017-07-17T20:54:00.018-07:00In the Best of Hands<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When we return to Italy in the fall, it will be with one new notch on our growth chart of surrender; our firstborn. </span></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-74e851aa-5396-4bf1-490a-1489c867ad07" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As Shailey began to talk out her interests and potentially map out her next year and her subsequent undergraduate studies it quickly became evident that a gap year in Italy was going to create some impracticalities. As a non resident of Canada she would be forced to apply as an international student which is substantially more expensive. Secondly, since she was homeschooled she is going to have to take entrance exams when she applies. Thirdly, she needs to get her driver’s license sooner than later. Being able to work part time as well as have independence and mobility (on foot or by bike) in our community to serve in ministry would be huge advantages as well.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So we started to realize that she has a lot to do this year to prepare for the next. It was a super emotional time for her, and for us by proxy when we started coming to this conclusion. It meant the year we were looking forward to spending with her had just been chopped off leaving us with 6 weeks. I now know what “heart wrenching” actually feels like. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As Shailey started to feel more determined about what she wanted to study, we started to pray for God to work out all practicalities. It was emotionally overwhelming for us to even imagine how God could bring all of this together quickly enough that we would feel absolute peace and confidence about so quickly and suddenly settling our daughter and returning to Italy without her. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We prayed to the God of minute details. I asked Him to please make it all come together in ways that only He could so that our daughter would not just “accept” His will for her this year, but embrace it with joy and excitement. God did not disappoint. The past week or so has been one story of Divine Provision after another.. To see Him in all the details, bringing the perfect people into her life in all areas, home, work, ministry, etc, my heart is so full and thankful for her! </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A few of God’s fingerprints:</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When I prayed about Shailey’s living arrangements God brought a couple to my mind. When we approached them about the possibility of Shailey living with them as a homestay nanny in exchange for room and board they were excited how this was answering not only our prayers but prayers of their own as well. When we met to discuss expectations of both parties, we were on the same page in every way, and when I saw Shailey’s room I couldn’t hold back tears as it was painted and decorated in her favorite colors of robin’s egg blue and chocolate brown.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The little guy that Shailey is going to get to care for 2-3 days a week is going to be such a comfort and joy to her as she has always been such a nurturing and loving big sister, and I am so excited for her to get to live surrounded by other role models and team leaders as she steps out and spreads her wings. She is super excited to live out real life discipleship together with our youth pastor and ministry team, and to pour into younger girls in our community. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We have been praying for the people who can give us confidence in finalizing Shailey’s undergraduate career plans, as she has expressed the desire to pursue a bachelor of arts in Social Work, specializing in youth and family counselling. Wouldn’t you know that this week at family camp we are surrounded by some of the top christian people in Saskatoon with years of expertise in this field.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As Shailey came to terms with not returning to Italy she began a grieving process. This is healthy and good. I wanted her to have the tools to transition well. The other night I was lying in bed praying for her. God brought the Canadian MK (missionary kid) Network to my mind and I remembered that they have a reboot camp for kids transitioning off the field. I felt the urgency to actually get up and send an email to our missions agency explaining the situation and requesting information (even though it was close to 1 am). The next day I received a hasty reply that our agency was strongly encouraging us to send her, and would help sponsor the cost, and that the deadline for registration was that same day. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">He’s a good, good Father. It’s who He is. Our girl is in the best of hands, being loved by Him.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixF53J_5mL-0BUxrNGe-2VsDiIjhruTdEKcggSbta3drR1gVx_v-pRSeCGVK-QZCNOpSfcxinMg9UlwUvkR-Vtk-6_8Pu5000bb9ITAubVY3otXSqfbYMu8LS-7QrdwEzP0v0WZLqLG3Ph/s1600/maxresdefault.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixF53J_5mL-0BUxrNGe-2VsDiIjhruTdEKcggSbta3drR1gVx_v-pRSeCGVK-QZCNOpSfcxinMg9UlwUvkR-Vtk-6_8Pu5000bb9ITAubVY3otXSqfbYMu8LS-7QrdwEzP0v0WZLqLG3Ph/s320/maxresdefault.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02587382812669823711noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8095931296976390367.post-17716196676346960422017-06-22T08:38:00.001-07:002017-06-22T08:38:16.117-07:00Committed to God's Supply<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Being home on home assignment, 3 ½ years after we first received our call to serve overseas, I want to take this opportunity to testify to the journey in hindsight. To summarize what God has done and is continuing to do in and through our calling and our lives.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The journey has been one step of trust and obey at a time. It still is. In a broad sense God had revealed </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">where </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">He wanted us, by giving us a heart of compassion and love for His church in Pietro’s native land of Italy. The first thing we needed to trust Him to reveal was </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">what</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> He was asking of us. As we prayed and waited on Him to reveal His heart for us and for Italy we were able to identify clearly (and quite remarkably for us) that He was giving us a vision to see Italian churches empowered to equip their members to effectively develop disciples of Jesus who make disciples as Jesus did. Not from the pulpit. Not in a classroom, not even in the church, but in intentional relational environments in small group settings. In relationship. In Real Life. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Our next step of trust and obey was that the God who was calling us, was going to </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>equip </i></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">us. We knew in a general sense </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">where </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">He was calling us, and we knew in powerful sense </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">what</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> he was calling us to do but we didn’t have a clear sense of </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">how</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> we were going to accomplish this. It was precisely at this time in our life that after years of prayer and searching on our part for tools to disciple effectively, God led our pastor to the ministry of Real Life Ministries in Post Falls, Idaho. He invited us to be part of a pilot group that worked through a 12 week training manual called Real Life Discipleship: Equipping Disciples to Make Disciples. The manual was the first step that God set before us to equip us to do the work He had called us to do. Since then our relationship and partnership with Real Life has grown, and after many years of praying for a “Paul”, our hearts overflow that in the ministry of this church we have found faithful men and women who are able to honestly model as Paul did, “Imitate me as I imitate Jesus.” But in such humility that really all we hear them say is “imitate Jesus and this is how we have learned to do that.” They have been faithful in modelling this and in encouraging and equipping us on this journey from day one, visiting us in Italy twice in two years with plans in the works for the next visit, skyping with Pietro every week, and even as I write this investing in us in an intimate one week international missions training with the purpose “to strategically equip their volunteer international coaches and key national pastors and leaders to build and reproduce disciple making churches in their countries and regions.”</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Another step of trust and obey was that the God who was calling us was going to </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>guide </i></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">us. He was going to reveal more specifically the </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">where </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">and the </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">who</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> that He was calling us to work and work with. We laugh (really laugh out loud laugh) when we look back on this one. At the time we didn’t understand why God wouldn’t tell us this before asking us to put 8 people and 24 pieces of luggage on a plane and move to another country, but we do recognize the reality that if He would have revealed the where and the who to us beforehand we can see how we would have resisted. We say regularly that Naples was Pietro’s Nineveh. We also felt strongly called to encourage and equip </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Italian</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> churches and the fact that the church that God led us to work with is an international bi-lingual church wouldn’t have seemed to fit that bill as </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">we</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> had in mind. So God didn’t give us the option to resist, He merely led us one step of the journey at a time, until He had us right where He wanted us and there has been no shadow of a doubt in our minds that God wants us to do our part to encourage and empower Il Faro International Baptist Church to live out their mission statement “to develop mature and united disciples to reach Naples and the world for Jesus” and that He desires to use this church in the future to encourage and equip Italian churches.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A final and ongoing trust and obey was that the God who called us, was going to </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>provide</i> for us</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. When God called us into ministry He did not lead us on the path of the traditional modern missionary organization route. We did not find an agency that had a heart for what God was calling us to do in Italy and told us how much money to raise in order to qualify. God brought together a couple with the calling to go, a church with the calling to send and an agency with the calling to equip</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> local church driven missions</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. From the beginning we sensed </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">our</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> part was to go. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">God’s </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">part was to provide. Our agency has two core values: the one I mentioned above: </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">local church driven missions </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">the other </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">committed to God’s supply. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">God’s supply. Those words have come to mean so much to us over the course of the past 3 ½ years.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In all honesty, we have not been the poster children for this core value, but we are learning and growing. For us, committed to God’s supply means “hands off” when it comes to money, budgeting and support raising. It means extreme surrender of these areas to God. It means George Mueller is our role model in that we learn to commit our needs to God and not to man, and trust God to meet them through the men and means of His choosing. As I have said, we have not modelled this pristinely all along the way, sometimes wanting to lend God a helping hand in making our needs known, or putting our trust in men rather than in God. But He is faithful and patient and good. He continues to teach us what it means to be committed to His supply and how wonderful and amazing it is to see how and through whom He chooses to provide. This blog has become a testament to that.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Our life is full, of challenges and opportunities, and I don’t find the time to write as much as I wish I could and my stones often pile up in my lap these days. Today I have a about a dozen of them that have been picked up along the way just over the course of the past weeks since we began our home assignment. Each one of them has to do with being committed to God’s supply and through whom and how He has chosen to supply. The say cheaper by the dozen, so here are my 12 stones of gratitude:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Those who provided our flights, </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Those who provided a home </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Those who furnished the home from beds and bedding, dressers, couches, to dishes and every conceivable household item. On a cute side note, God provided 2 couches and a loveseat for “our” living room from two different sources. Our good friends offered a spare couch first. Then another friend received word that someone who had not managed to sell their couch and loveseat in a moving sale were offering them for free. When he went to pick them up, they were a </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">matching </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">set to the first couch that had been loaned.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Those who filled our fridge, freezer, cupboards, pantry, laundry and bathroom with food, cooking instructions, and every conceivable need down to razors and shaving gel, q tips and polysporin.</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Those who generously gifted us with funds to help us with the additional expenses of travel and accommodation while on the road.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Those who provided us with vehicle(s) and fuel.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sylvia, a perfect stranger God led us to in a church parking lot in Fernie, BC when our tire blew out on Father’s Day Sunday at 1 pm. Sylvia led us to a divine appointment and before she left pressed a sum of money into Pietro’s hand that met the expense we were to incur the next day to have a replacement tire mounted in Cranbrook.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Nick and Judy V. more perfect strangers who adopted us for night after we discovered that Canadian Tire didn’t have a single tire in the size we needed and wouldn’t be able to get one in for four days. They put us up for night and enlisted their son and law Travis to find us a tire in Cranbrook the next day. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A stone for the Paul’s in our life. Dave and Stuart and the many other real life people at Real Life Ministries who lead like Jesus and faithfully and intentionally teach us to do the same.</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A stone for Dale and Donna W. who are hosting us this week in their most adorable B&B The Chicken Coop. Another cute side note, this B&B received a last minute cancellation (as in the day before our arrival) of a one week booking which made it possible for us to stay here. Just like our home in Italy we feel like God personally arranged for the most perfect place that He knew would provide us with the perfect space and ambience.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A stone for the missions team at Real Life who is serving this week behind the scenes to provide meals for our family and the other participants.</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A stone for the asian tourists that God used to provide parking money for us at the Coeur d’Alene boardwalk yesterday. One final cute story. We are in the states but have no American money. When we decided to take the kids for a walk on the boardwalk yesterday morning we didn’t think about parking money until we were pulling into the parking lot. Pietro got out of the vehicle and began moving over toward a ticket machine where an asian couple were plugging coins. Before he arrived they moved away from that machine toward another and a second person arrived at the first machine ahead of Pietro. When the second person plugged his money in, three parking tickets came out. The asian couple came back and gave Pietro the extra parking ticket. It might seem trivial, a parking ticket worth a mere dollar or two, but it represents a need, and it represents the God who delights to supply.</span></div>
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-f42c532a-d064-4354-3d6f-0033e1672625"></span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02587382812669823711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8095931296976390367.post-75165773844563623322017-02-12T11:43:00.001-08:002017-02-12T11:52:39.935-08:00But God....A couple of weeks ago we started to request prayer for the particulars surrounding our home assignment this summer. To be honest, depending on God for the month by month and day to day essentials has become second nature to us. The thought of all the implications (financial and practical) of packing up 8 people for 3 months on the road in another country (albeit our own), was unfathomable to us. We knew it was important, necessary, essential even if we are to continue this work, and of course we WANT to spend time with all our friends, family and partners, but...... well, just "BUT how?"<br />
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Within days we had more "stones" than we could hold being poured into our laps, and all we could do was sit there and receive them with grateful and joyful hearts. I don't want to move past this point without joyfully offering them up on my altar of praise, thanking God and each person who partnered with Him in His provision for our family. </div>
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Within 48 hours of our invitation to pray, every single detail for our flights, our accomodation, our vehicle needs, even people wanting to provide for our family to attend our beloved family camp were all poured out like a waterfall of blessing upon our heads. In this same 48 hour period we also received a letter from a praying church informing us they desired to become a partnering church. I wish I could go into the details of every encouraging exchange, every gift that was proffered, every blessing that was poured upon us in this 48 hours. That would take many entries, and really, it's not about the details so much as it is about the premise; </div>
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When we feel that we are being led to the edge of the water and we look across that great expanse, we need not hang our heads and ask, "But how?" We need only smile into the wind and declare with expectation "But God..."</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02587382812669823711noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8095931296976390367.post-67551557441708584202016-11-14T12:12:00.000-08:002016-11-14T12:24:36.805-08:00The Red Sea RulesIt may be the shortest but quite possibly the most powerful book I have ever read and definitely spiritual manna for my soul. Every single sentence packs a punch and a world of trust and obey challenges to put into practice.<br />
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The Red Sea Rules can be summarized like this:<br />
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1. Realize that God means for you to be where you are.<br />
2. Be more concerned with God's glory than your relief<br />
3. Acknowledge your enemy but keep your eyes on the Lord<br />
4. Pray<br />
5. Stay calm and confident and give God time to work<br />
6. When unsure just take the next logical step by faith<br />
7. Envision God's enveloping presence<br />
8. Trust God to deliver in His own unique way<br />
9. View your current crisis as a faith builder for the future<br />
10. Praise Him!<br />
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My stone today is engraved with RSR #8 and the story goes like this....<br />
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Over two months ago, we were 11 hours from home and about 1/2 from the border of France on our way to a European worker's family conference. As we pulled into a fuel station our van began to make a horrific grinding noise from somewhere in the undercarriage. It literally sounded like we were dragging the engine. The station attendants told us to "best keep going" because it was Saturday afternoon in a small town in northern Italy in August. In other words if we broke down there we would be hard put to ever get out.<br />
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We prayed over the van, that it would get us to our destination and with some trepidation pulled back onto the packed freeway. We not only drove the rest of the way to France without issues, (the noise disappeared) we made it HOME from France taking a number of detours along the way. And when we took the van to our mechanic to investigate what Pietro suspected was a clutch/flywheel issue (I hope I'm saying that right), there was nothing to indicate a problem or to merit removing our engine to inspect the clutch flywheel.<br />
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We were very relieved that the noise had gone away, and continued to drive the van for over two months without a hint of an issue. Last week we had friends here from Canada and had just one day to enjoy with them. We took them to Pompeii and on the way home, lo and behold, about half a block from our mechanic the van started to make that horrific noise again. We pulled into the mechanic and got the diagnosis. Pietro had been right, it was the clutch flywheel. Our mechanic was stupefied that this had happened more than two months prior and then.... stopped. He said by all accounts we should have broke down on the road to France, never mind the trip back and two months of driving to boot.<br />
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The bad news is that it was a big job, with a big bill; as big as our entire year's cost of insurance and definitely not in our budget. The good news is that God delivers in His own unique way. That need presenting itself in that moment (right in front of the mechanic) on that day (the only day our friends were here with us) was a divine equation for miraculous provision. When someone leans in from the back seat and says "Guys, what's this gonna cost?" and then gently asks if they can take care of it? That's Rule #8 with skin on folks, and it's the prelude to Rule #10....<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02587382812669823711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8095931296976390367.post-20154675148504062592016-10-27T05:35:00.001-07:002016-10-27T06:04:44.317-07:00Consider the Lilies...About a month ago Pietro's mom gifted us with some money to go clothes shopping. Andrew and Shailey specifically had outgrown all of their fall/winter clothing from last year. Jonathan and Seth also have a pretty sparse and rather worn wardrobe, fine for everyday at home, but not really up to snuff by Italian standards. Forearmed with a bulleted list of the older kids needs and our gift money in hand (read tucked safely inside the inner zippered pocket of a pickpocket safe ameribag) we set out to the used clothing stalls at the Saturday morning market and nailed it. Got every single item the older two needed.<br />
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Last week as I was hanging laundry my attention was drawn once again to the sad condition of most of Seth and Jonathan's clothes from last fall/winter (most of these handmedowns from Andrew's days). My immediate reaction was to ask myself what *I* could do. I could post an ISO boys clothes sizes 10-12 post on a facebook group I am part of that is for christian homeschooling moms from the Navy and NATO bases here in our area. I kind of exhaled the idea out to God through the clothespins in my mouth. This is already something notable because in the past I probably just would have hupped to it post haste. I sensed a check in my spirit and that all familiar feeling: "Ask me....". So I did, finished hanging my laundry and came back inside to continue school with the kids.<br />
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The next time I checked my messages the first thing I saw, that literally seemed to jump off the screen in flashing letters was a post on the Naples homeschoolers facebook group. It read "3 bags of boys clothes size 10-12 to give away, any takers?" This is not a normal occurrence on this group as usually it is just for posting homeschool related books, co-ops or fieldtrips.<br />
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He continues to provide. He continues to challenge me to a life of childlike dependence. He continues to prove that the God who dresses the lilies of the field, takes personal pride and ownership in dressing His children.<br />
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I sometimes wonder if one day, once we have learned to walk with Him like little children in this way, if things will get easier. Whether they do or whether they don't I know one way or the other His praise will ever be on our lips.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"And why do you worry about clothes? Consider how the lilies of the field grow. They do not toil or spin and yet not even Solomon in all his splendor was adorned as one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and gone tomorrow, will He not much more clothe you?"</td></tr>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02587382812669823711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8095931296976390367.post-28638491792911731302016-10-09T07:02:00.000-07:002016-10-09T07:07:03.840-07:00On Celebration and Mourning It's Canadian Thanksgiving, one of my favorite times of year and favorite holidays. Okay, so I say that about every time of year and every holiday... but there is something uniquely nostalgic about the sights, smells and savory delights that are Thanksgiving.<br />
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Holidays are one of those missionary things that you can and you can't recreate. I can make Pioneer Woman's creamy mashed potatoes, and if I am lucky I can find sweet potatoes at the big french grocery chain a few towns over. I can whip up a creamy pumpkin pie and if I am really, really lucky I will be able to get my hands on a whole turkey somewhere.<br />
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What I can't recreate is the crispness in the prairie air touched with the soft amber glow of indian summer sunshine. I can't recreate the damp smell of fallen leaves or the pallette of fall color in field and forest. I can't make my special version of cranberry sauce with the secret addition of saskatoon berries, and I can't make crabapple slush with Canadian Gingerale and apples from my very own tree. I won't hear the geese honking and their strong wings beating as they take off from the field in front of my house and I won't hear the crunch of the gravel as my parents and other loved ones pull onto the yard.<br />
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Today I mourn the loss of those things for the first time. Last year God gave us the gift of being able to be home for a week over Thanksgiving and to celebrate it at the lake with my parents. A gift made even more precious when death later touched our lives and made it the last Thanksgiving we would share with our strong, quiet, faithful father figure at the head of the table. In loss, special days become not only days of celebration, but days of mourning.<br />
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Mourning is a beautiful thing. It means you love, you feel, you miss, you desire. The strangest thing about mourning that I am learning is that one can both mourn and celebrate at the same time, that the two realities are not mutually exclusive, and that one does not preclude the other. I miss Canadian Autumn and my character home on the prairie, but that doesn't mean that I am not rejoicing today in the reality of my new home and the fall sun, like gold on my head here in Naples.<br />
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I miss worshiping with my Canadian church family and the amazing food and fellowship but that doesn't mean I didn't experience pure joy worshiping with my Neapolitan church family and eating fresh buffala mozzarella for dinner.<br />
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I miss people that are sooooo near and dear to my heart but that doesn't mean that my heart isn't overflowing with joy and gratitude for the new friends God has brought into our lives.<br />
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So as I look ahead to setting my own Thanksgiving table, and surrounding it with special people, I think back and remember with tears of joy and thanksgiving all the special people we have shared it with in the past. You are in our hearts, and part of our life, and you make us want to know and share this kind of love, with others too.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02587382812669823711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8095931296976390367.post-86076333885157277862016-09-03T08:35:00.000-07:002016-09-03T08:44:46.361-07:00Water From The RockWhen the Israelites were wandering in the desert, they never lacked for anything. Quail bombarded them from the heavens when they missed meat, daily bread awaited them each morning as they stepped out into the new day, and water gushed from a rock when they were thirsty. Their shoes and clothing never wore out in forty years.<br />
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We see the miracles and we think how incredible it all is, and it is. But what a journey in surrender these people were walking! There was no stability except the knowledge that God is faithful, and able, and mighty to save. Yet despite His track record in proving this, we are still sinful, human, fallen creatures who hate it when things are out of our control and there is nothing we can do about it, don't we?<br />
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Our journey, too, has been full of incredible Only-God provision moments. We have learned and are learning what it means to live a life of full surrender and trust. We have come a long way, but by no means have we arrived, we probably never will. The spiritual life after all is one of continuous challenge and growth in faith, in surrender and in holiness. No pain, no gain as they say.<br />
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So as I lay my stones on the altar and share the highlights of our journey, I also must sometimes take a moment to lay down a stone of burden that we carry, to confess that like Pilgrim, we too sometimes find ourselves with a heavy pack that we must lay down at the cross. So here are my stones, I lay them down, I raise my white flag, I surrender all to Him.<br />
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When we first arrived in Italy we were classified as independent contractors for tax purposes. This is because we are not technically "employees" of MSC Canada. This puts us in the worst possible tax bracket in Italy because 1. it does not let us claim any ministry expenses so we must pay full tax on 100% of our income, and 2. it does not allow us to qualify for any benefits at all.<br />
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Because of this, we started questioning whether it wouldn't be in our best interests financially to join a paramissionary organization here in Italy that would give us "employee" status to the Italian government. Yes it would cost us a 4% admin fee but that would be made up from the child support checks we would then qualify to receive AND it would allow us to have a separate expense account and therefore lower our income, thus lower our taxes. With the green light from our leadership team in Canada we went ahead with this.<br />
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Bureaucracy in Italy is not easily avoided. Complication after complication has met us since we made this switch. Besides the 4% admin fee we need to pay another 6% to make up the "employer contributions", because as a missions agency, they don't have income so of course this money has to come out of the missionaries own support. On top of that, we learned that unlike in Canada, we can not file all our ministry expenses, but only Pietro's portion. So for example, if and when we come home on home assignment we can only claim Pietro's airfare. Also, we won't qualify for child support until NEXT year because LAST year more than 30% of our income was as a non-employed status. Lastly, we just learned this past week that our Italian agency can not pay us more than x number of dollars per month paycheck. About 1,000 euros less than our monthly living expenses. What does this mean? Our income is less, and our expenses are substantially more. So the pressure has mounted and stress has ensued.<br />
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Different "solutions" have been presented to us. Our Italian agency can take over our rental contract and utilities and pay them out of our expense account rather than us paying them out of our paycheck, it would still be claimable income, but not funneled through our paycheck (does your head hurt yet, ours does). The problem with this is that to change all our contracts will cost us 1,000 euros and if later we decided to leave the Italian agency it would cost us that much again to change it back. We just did this twice in the past year because of our move. Then we have the looming cost of furlough flights that add another huge expense and yet we know furlough is as much an important part of this journey as getting here was. Do not worry, fear not, be bold and courageous. These are the words that play in our heads and that we try hard (white knuckle hard) to live by.<br />
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That's the physical practical explanation of what we are dealing with, mentally and spiritually we feel like God is challenging us. Convicting us. In a way I feel like Sara when she took matters into her own hands and tried to "help" God fulfill his promise of an heir. God doesn't need our "help" to make things financially feasible any more than He needed Sara to arrange for a roundabout pregnancy. And yet that is what we have been trying to do ever since we got here. Find a way to "save God" money.<br />
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It's a fine line between being a good steward of God's (and your) money and surrendering to God's sovereignty in the desert. A fine line between trying to squeeze water from the rock or trusting in the One who can make it flow.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02587382812669823711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8095931296976390367.post-77042468792145375782016-08-17T05:08:00.000-07:002016-08-17T05:08:57.927-07:00This One's For YouYes, <i>you</i>. We know your life is a journey of faith right now, trusting that the Lord will provide for your every need, and yet you choose to give; not out of your excess, but in the midst of your struggle to the Lord... to us.<br />
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And you. Yes, <i>you</i>. We have been blessed so many times in your lovely home eating around your table with your beautiful family, your gift of hospitality and love blessing our hearts and enriching our lives. How many years did you make do with what you had, giving generously to the Lord's work without begrudging what you had not?<br />
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And you. Oh you loveliest of ladies in the autumn years of life, with your widow's pension. You give faithfully month after month after month to those you pray so faithfully for around the world.<br />
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And you. Yes, <i>you</i>. Oh beautiful union of missionary kids now diligently raising your own lovely half dozen little disciples. Month after month you trust the Lord to provide for all your needs, and you give faithfully to ours.<br />
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And you. Week in and week out, month after month you are there at the other end of the line to answer our every request, to pray for and support us in our every need. You give freely of your time and gifts to workers around the world and we can do what we do because you make it possible.<br />
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And you. Oh church with such a vision. You don't just look to minister to those in your community, but you look to have a global impact and your vision and mission to make disciples of all nations is truly being carried out by those you have impacted.<br />
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And you. Yes, <i>you</i>, anonymous giver. Month after month when our statement is forwarded to us we see you in your anonymity. You are not anonymous to God, and we are blessed by your quiet support.<br />
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For you. Yes, <i>you</i>. We have never met personally, but you faithfully pray through the missionary prayer handbook. You write us encouraging letters, you pray for us, you give to the Lord's work that we are called to, and you make it possible for us to be here and do what we are passionate about.<br />
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You are the ordinary extraordinary heroes; the widow with her mites, the boy with the loaves, the woman with with the oil. We are the lucky ones who get to live by God's providence in and through and in communion with you.<br />
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"Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, 'Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth, but she, out of her poverty put in all she had to live on." Mark 12:43-44<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02587382812669823711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8095931296976390367.post-29007020266203406492016-07-30T08:12:00.002-07:002016-07-30T08:41:47.806-07:00Your Father Knows....We are not the same people we were two years ago. We don't think the same, we don't respond the same, and interestingly, we are no longer surprised when God orchestrates amazing things on our behalf.<br />
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That doesn't mean that we are not just as delighted, or just as overcome with emotion, but we are not *surprised*. Because He has proven Himself again and again, and again to be our Source, our Sure Thing. The One who calls, provides for the journey.<br />
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We can't really live by a budget, because the numbers don't match. God's math doesn't make ANY sense. Somehow there is money to give, to host, to bless, when there should technically only be enough to pay the rent and utility bills. Our vehicle insurance, repairs, tires, etc are not even in the theoretical budget right now, and amazingly, that doesn't concern us.<br />
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Like the lady with the oil and the jars, when it should be running out, somehow, it never does. And when something out of the ordinary looms (like our vehicle insurance next month) the money anonymously shows up in our MSC Canada account in the exact right figures that we need.<br />
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Or we agree to pray for discernment about whether we should attend a family camp for European MSC workers and someone emails us before we even have time to pray and says "we want to gift you with *this* amount of money, to use in a way that would bless your family." The exact amount for camp registration.<br />
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When God was first challenging us to come to Italy, we felt that He was challenging us to come in faith. With no sure knowledge of where we would end up or how we would pay the bills. We were strangely fierce in our desire to "trust and obey and watch" as the Lord guided and provided. We have never, never, EVER been disappointed.<br />
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"Do not be amazed, your Father knows what you need before you even ask", and His children who He has blessed with resources are a blessing to others, that we may bless others, that they... Oh what a privilege to be His child, and to be siblings with you in this life now, and in our eternal home. May His family grow and His name be made famous among the nations!<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02587382812669823711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8095931296976390367.post-22296680588442090252016-06-03T12:41:00.001-07:002016-06-03T12:42:17.963-07:00Room ServicePietro is currently attending a conference called Missione 2016 where John Piper is the key note speaker. This is the biggest conference of its kind ever held in Italy with 1,500 attendees. Being rather drained after the month we have just had with a death in the family, my being gone for 3 weeks, and then having company during the following three weeks. I think the thought of mingling with 1,500 other people was a bit overwhelming to him right now to say the least.<br />
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He's a light sleeper to start with, and sleeps even worse when he is in unfamiliar surroundings and especially with unfamiliar people. His first text upon arriving at his hotel last night was "pray for me, my roommate smokes." My heart sank. Second hand smoke (even residual) is one of those things that sets Pietro's allergies raging which then leaves him sneezing like a crazy person, and eyes and nose running so heavily that he is forced to lay prostrate for days on end due to the misery of it. I told him to go and talk to the conference organizers and explain his situation, even though I doubted he would. He didn't see my message until many hours later that night but in the meantime I prayed that God would please provide my husband another room and protect him physically.</div>
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His message to me at midnight was, "I just want you to know I got a private room. I am so thankful."</div>
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Today he called to explain what had happened. After he had checked into his room he went back to the check in desk, I can't remember why exactly, maybe to pick up his conference packet and there was a woman in front of him who was very upset and irritable that her brother, who had payed for and requested a private room, had been roomed with someone else. Turns out her brother was the smoker from Pietro's room. Hotel management asked Pietro "if he would mind moving"! They expediently moved him to a private room to accomodate this other man's private booking. </div>
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Not only was he protected from a sure fire allergy flare up that would have ruined his entire weekend, this "mix-up", although I would much rather refer to it as a divine "mash-up", allowed for him to have the luxury of a room to himself which I know will be a huge blessing to my off the charts introvert spouse as he mingles with 1,500 people for the next three days.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02587382812669823711noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8095931296976390367.post-8416897401322014382016-05-03T05:50:00.004-07:002016-05-03T05:54:13.213-07:00Cloaked in Comfort"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our sorrows so that we can comfort those with the comfort we have received from God." 2 Corinthians 1:3,4<br />
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This passage has become so real to me in the past two weeks of suffering the loss of a loved one. Sorrow. Comfort. Praise. These are stones I lay reverently in the road. They are stained with tears and my heart aches painfully as I lay them down but it aches equally with joy as with sorrow. It is indeed better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all.</div>
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There are times when I feel I am just a phone call, a click of the mouse away from those we have left behind. When death strikes your family and you are on the other side of the Atlantic, it feels like you are light years away, completely cut off, utterly helpless and alone. In those moments of after shock I felt like gravity didn't exist anymore. There was no solid ground for my feet, no oxygen for my lungs. I felt like a large chunk of my universe had just gone hurtling away into space and left this shocking, gaping void. Pietro was on his phone with our care team back home, while I sat there clutching my own phone, stunned.</div>
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In that moment the phone in my hand rang. The caller ID showed it was a messenger call from a friend of encouragement. I answered it, knowing that comfort would be on the other end of the line. Imagine my surprise when no one voice answers my tearful greeting but rather a whole sanctuary of voices, worshiping; our church family back home. I could picture my friend standing there, arm outstretched to capture their corporate praise, and I felt those voices envelope me as though I were in the room. My heart calmed, my breath returned, and though tears streamed down my face I felt gravity restored as Pastor Darrell's voice spoke from the mic and the congregation responded with laughter and camaraderie. I felt like I had been wrapped in a comforter.</div>
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The call was to take on a whole new depth of comfort when I learned that my friend had not called me purposefully and she most certainly was not holding her phone up for me to share in this moment. Her phone was on the bench beside her, where she had left it after sending me a condolence text upon hearing the news of my loss. It's possible that somehow she "accidentally" touched the phone in just the right way that it put through a messenger call to me, but I don't believe for a moment that it was an "accident". The God of all comfort reached down and connected me to home in an intensely powerful way when and how I most needed it.</div>
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This week I was able to stand surrounded by my church family in the flesh. At the very end of our service we sang "Good, Good Father". As we sang the words "Because you know just what we need before we say a word" I was just overcome by how deeply He loves me. How profound His comfort is. How deep his own sorrow and loss was in handing over his beloved son to suffer and die, rejected and alone. How deep the Father's love for us! </div>
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"Love so undeniable, I can hardly speak;</div>
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Peace so unexplainable I can hardly think."</div>
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Where I came feeling stripped of joy, I return feeling cloaked in comfort.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02587382812669823711noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8095931296976390367.post-88653549849338589232016-04-23T05:48:00.000-07:002016-05-03T05:52:38.753-07:00Welcome HomeIt's hard to believe that just three short weeks ago I celebrated my 42nd birthday. When sorrow hits, it makes days feel like weeks and months feel like years. Yesterday we celebrated the life of the most influential man in my life. In some strange way we were celebrating his birthday too, only one that took him from this, into eternal life and his eternal home.<br />
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I remember meeting him as though it was yesterday. I was a troubled kid with a lot of emotional baggage, being placed in foster care for the very first time, scared out of my wits about what (and who) awaited me at the end of that drive with the social worker. I remember walking up the stone path in front of her with my one black garbage bag of clothes clutched in my hand and my heart stuck in my throat.<br />
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The door opened and he was standing there, with Laura right behind at his shoulder. He had a smile as warm as the sun and eyes that twinkled like they were reflecting stars. He opened up his big arms and wrapped them around me and said "Welcome home."<br />
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And home and family is what God gave me, everything my weary heart needed to heal and grow and thrive. When I left home, when they left the home we shared, wherever they were, whenever I showed up at the door, I was home and home was the most wonderful place to be.<br />
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For me every day spent at home was what I referred to as a Glory Day. It was always etched in my mind as something remarkable, captivating your senses and impressing itself into your soul. They were always the most special of days and there was no place I would rather be. I can't remember him ever saying goodbye without hugging me warmly before stepping back, squeezing my shoulders, looking me straight in the eye and saying; "I'm proud of you, Nic." What a gift that can never grow old or lose its value.<br />
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Yesterday we all got to say how proud we were of him. He was the most Christlike person I and any of us have probably ever met. He truly lived out the fruits of the spirit, daily, faithfully, as though it were effortless although I know it was not lack of effort but amazing exercise of discipline. Today I am "going home" but for the first time he won't be at the door with his smile and his hug. One week ago today he walked another pathway, another door opened for him and big fatherly arms embraced him, welcoming him home. I can picture his Heavenly Father squeezing his shoulders, looking him straight in the eye and saying; "Well done, son. I'm proud of you."<br />
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We all are.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02587382812669823711noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8095931296976390367.post-49110136798977862762016-03-29T05:33:00.000-07:002016-03-29T06:00:53.037-07:00Every Good and Perfect GiftOn Sunday I had the beautiful privilege of celebrating my life, my birthday, on the day we have set aside to celebrate the resurrection of the One who came that I might have life, and life to the full. How deep the Father's love for us. How vast, beyond all measure! That He would give His only Son. To make a wretch His treasure!<br />
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On this birthday, in this season of my life, He is indeed continuing to reveal to me daily the extent to which He is delighted to go to make His intensely personal and tender love for me known. His love amazes me. His extravagant grace silences me. I can do nothing but with a lump in my throat and tears in my eyes, pick up my rough little stone and lay it on the altar of my remembering as my heart swells to bursting with an overwhelming consciousness of how small I am, and how great He is.<br />
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My camera has been on its last legs for some time now. As various settings began to fail on it I found new tricks and settings that allowed me to continue to use it until it breathed its last. As I realized we were nearing the end I started to search around for a used camera to replace it. Photography has become the one pastime I am able to take great joy in during this particular chapter of my life, pairing it with the special family day outings we plan twice a month and sharing the comings and goings of our life. I have always loved it, but now especially, it is the one simple artsy thing I can take great joy in as it touches my love for my surroundings and appreciation of all things beautiful.<br />
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I have always had pretty cheap and simple cameras. This time I really hoped to graduate up to an entry level DSLR with a wide angle and a larger zoom lens. Knowing how photographers love to upgrade I was pretty sure I could find an older used model that was in my price range.<br />
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My "in search of" posts on various local buy and sell sites resulted in one reply, but that camera was about $200 over my budget. After a while a new friend from church told me she had her first Nikon DSLR that I could try out. I was so excited the day I brought it home and tried to wait patiently until we could go in search of a memory card for it. A month passed and every attempt to find the memory card for this camera was thwarted. In Italy it had become obsolete.<br />
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The day of my birthday I finally followed up on my intention to ask a friend in Canada to hunt down the accessories I would need if I purchased this camera; the card, a back up battery, and a card reader. She responded quickly with "going camera shopping next week so I will look and see what I find, which makes me wonder if you would be interested in my DSLR camera?" She attached a photo to which I replied something to the effect of, "Gorgeous camera and lenses, but clearly out of my price range!" to which she replied, "Not to buy, silly! To have."<br />
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We then texted frantically back and forth for quite awhile as she told me how just the day before she had been looking at the camera bag on the shelf and asking herself what she should do about it, as she just never used it. What she really wanted was a smaller, simpler point and shoot easy to whip out and carry about. After asking herself if she should try to sell it she quickly shelved that thought and was more drawn to finding a home for it with someone that would use and appreciate it and be blessed by it. She's totally that kind of woman.<br />
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This camera is so far beyond my wildest dreams, one of the lenses alone is worth more than any camera I have ever owned. The first thing that popped in my head, that eve of my birthday was "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of Lights who does not change like shifting shadows." No, He does not change. He is constant. His extravagant love has always been and will always be vast beyond measure. And that night I felt the warmth of that love- light touch me as I pictured His gaze, maybe even His twinkly eyed wink, as He smiled down on me and blessed me with His very personal and perfect birthday blessing.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02587382812669823711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8095931296976390367.post-25930297529614701782016-02-20T11:34:00.000-08:002016-02-20T15:02:26.372-08:00Nothing to GiveI started this day with nothing to give. And yet to me this day so much has been given.<br />
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When I rose with the dawn and wearily gathered my bible, prayer journal and devotional, I started by journaling how spent I was. Physically, emotionally, mentally. Ten days of battling a wicked ear infection, as many days of seeking to sum 40 years of testimony into four pages that would wholly reflect and glorify the One who has been there leading and sustaining each step of the way. A night of very little rest due to nausea from antibiotics, and the monumental task of going out and standing before a room full of women to bare my soul just hours ahead of me.<br />
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"God," I wrote. "I need You. I have nothing without You. I don't have the energy to do what I need to do today. We don't have the resources to pay the bills that have come in the past two days. We don't have the patience and the endurance to face another month of dealing with all the bureaucracy of getting our residency issues sorted out. God, it's been a hard year. Four homes, and we still aren't settled. All the expenses and the exchange rate on our support making this seem financially impossible. God, we need you."<br />
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After journaling, I took up my devotional book, turning to the passage in Phil 4:6-7 and read this: <i>"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; then the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."</i><br />
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The devotional meditation that followed read; "In every thing, by prayer and supplication make your requests known to God." 'But do not beg. Rather, come just as a business manager bringing to the owner the needs, checks to be signed, etc., and knowing that to lay the matter before Him means immediate supply. I (God) long to supply, but the asking- or the faith-assurance from you, is necessary, because to you that contact with Me is vital."<br />
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With thanksgiving, I praise God for how He has provided for both our needs and some of our wants. And how it has been His provision, His blessing to come through in each case. How I love to make His name famous for how faithful and good He is! And so I place my stones in the road.<br />
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Because of the drop in the Canadian dollar, even though our support remains the same and our supporters are faithful, what we get after the exchange rate does not come close to reflecting our actual budget. This has meant that while we have money to pay the rent, the bills, gas for the van and feed our family there is nothing extra for clothing or medication or unexpected expenses. So when the boys were down to two pairs of "acceptable to wear in public" pants each, one pair of which could be considered "iffy" I started praying I could find some cheap used pants for them at the market that could be squeezed into the grocery budget. Unfortunately because of all the immigrants here, it is extremely hard to find used items at the market and for two weeks I had no success. That second Saturday I prayed and told God the boys needed pants and that Jonathan needed shoes. The girls had also requested I keep my eye open for brown dress shoes for them (a want not a need).<br />
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The next day one of my new friends, the wife of an American chaplain on the base, was visiting with me at church and said, "Oh, by the way, next Saturday there is a bag sale at the Thrift Store on base, would you like to come with me?" (You need to be sponsored on by a military family). Of course you will not be surprised to know that in that sale I got two BAGS full of clothes for ten euros. Not just one, but four pairs of pants for each of the boys, and although there were not many shoes to choose from, there were 6 pairs of beautiful brown dress shoes in the girls' sizes. Besides this I was able to get coats and house coats for a number of the kids. All for the price of ONE pair of pants at the market.<br />
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For a few weeks my heart has been very burdened for Shailey. She is sixteen and was so enjoying her "freedom" in Canada to get out and do things as an individual. Her piano lessons, quizzing, riding... she has given all of these up and has nothing to replace them here. She expressed feeling a bit stir crazy, and wanting to find a way to earn some money so that she could take riding lessons at the stable nearby. They are not expensive, but even ten euros a lesson is one third of our day's household expenses and unfeasible for us. So we committed to pray even though my heart did not have hope. The economy here is in crisis. Everyone is struggling to put food on the table. People are constantly asking us to provide work for them, cutting our grass, cleaning our house, cooking for us, they are begging for work and we can't help any of them. Riding lessons for Shailey seems extravagant in light of this.<br />
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But within days of requesting that God provide the means for Shailey to make some money so that she can pursue an interest, we were approached with a request for babysitting from another American family from our church. She has three dates pencilled in for the near future and her eyes are shining like stars as she looks forward to being able to climb in the saddle again.<br />
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Lastly, just today, after my time in the word this morning I handed over these unexpected bills that are coming up due to our new rental contract and hook ups. Like the devotional said, I didn't beg. I just said, God, we are your servants. You are our source. We don't have the money to pay these bills. And now tonight, in my inbox, a little note from someone on the other side of the world, saying they had "some money" they were praying how and where to give, and today they knew they were to give it to us.<br />
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<i>"I (God) long to supply, but the asking- or the faith-assurance from you, is necessary, because to you that contact with Me is vital."</i><br />
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Oh how these words resonate with me in this current chapter of growth and learning about His goodness and faithfulness. Every day I look at the Vine and the Branches painting Ramona gifted us before we moved and I realize that it says it all. Apart from Him we can do nothing. He is our life, our source, our song.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02587382812669823711noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8095931296976390367.post-32135903311925021152015-12-31T04:00:00.001-08:002015-12-31T04:37:08.419-08:00Something BeautifulI am not wired to see life through rose colored glasses. If anything I would say my lenses tend to be pretty gray by nature. That said, as someone who has struggled with depression and anxiety in my 20's and 30's, one of my acquired and learned disciplines has been <i>focus</i>. When we look at something, whether it be concrete or abstract, we look at it through a unique paradigm that is influenced by our own experiences, fears, beliefs and worldview. Our default is to interpret things much like a camera on auto focus through our own uniquely programmed set of lenses. When we allow ourselves to be conscious, curious and cautious of how our default affects our perspective, we are able to switch out of auto mode, and learn to see a whole new world of depth and color in manual mode.<br />
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Some years ago, the word I chose for my year was "beauty". I wanted to make a concentrated effort that year to be acutely aware of the beautiful. It was an amazing and life altering exercise for me. I threw away my gray lensed glasses that year and disciplined my eyes to observe more closely, appreciate more fully the beauty in the mundane. I am a different, happier, pleasanter person because of it.<br />
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Today as I curled up to read to my fourth grader I found myself basking in the warmth of this reality as expressed so powerfully in this passage;<br />
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'Michele started toward the painting, but Lord Derby stopped him. "Wait a minute. If you like the picture I'll give it to you. But you must tell the truth."<br />
Michele looked around him. How wonderful it would be to take this place home with him- the sea, and the sky and the cliffs! He walked to the front of the easel, looked at the canvas and then looked again.<br />
There was no sea, no sky, no cliffs.<br />
"The steps," he gasped. "You painted a picture of the steps to Anacapri."<br />
Lord Derby nodded, well pleased with himself. "Do you like my picture?"<br />
Michele nodded, slowly. "Yes. Only-"<br />
"Only what?"<br />
"The steps are so beautiful."<br />
"Have I made them too beautiful? More beautiful than they really are?"<br />
"I never thought they were beautiful at all. I thought they were ugly."<br />
"Perhaps you have never looked at them before."<br />
"Looked at them? I have looked at them a thousand times!"<br />
"Sometimes we never look at the things we see most often."<br />
Michele continued to stare at the picture. "Those colors in the rocks-are they really there?"<br />
"I saw them there."<br />
"And the steps- do they loop and turn like that?"<br />
"Exactly like that."<br />
"You have made them look like a stairway to heaven!"<br />
"Have I? Good..."<br />
But as they walked toward home Michele was still puzzled. "Lord Derby."<br />
"Yes, Michele?"<br />
"Why did you go to the most beautiful spot on Capri and then paint something else?"<br />
..."You don't need an artist to show you the beauty of a place like that. But your ugly steps- if I have made you see a bit of beauty in them, Michele, I am very happy."<br />
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Oh how this fills my chest with a warm rush of wonder. The world has its share of ugliness. As I look out my window the scene is littered with abandoned, mildew and graffiti tainted edifices with gaping dark mouths of former windows and doors; streets strewn with garbage, whole bags of it, ripped open and spread far and wide by wild mangy dogs. But my focus elicits a feeling of wonder and joy. I see the soft depth of the green pine forest against the backdrop of the ever azure Mediterranean sky. I see the bobbing yellow orbs on the lemon tree in the abandoned yard behind us drooping under the weight of its bounty, the explosion of purple petals on the bougainvillea climbing the corner of the dilapidated house, the two perfect roses suspended against the backdrop of rough bamboo that shields us from the street.<br />
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Like the mess outside my window, the news and the realities of life in a fallen world are ugly and regretful. But the world is still such a wonderful place. We have been given the gift of sight and senses and the power to exercise them. In the midst of the ordinary, the ugly and mundane we can always find something beautiful.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg6UKf7caDsahs0blJXUydmHhrssZu2906bxlI5jv1_QrwC6kYXcaCz0KpCyvxfBGKm7R62JwzVOkwAEgS-2t7vHXUSs_eZfWNJ8-uzpfEiliwU-fcRpmynTHda0ajvvlmktgxTlzBZczn/s1600/phoenecian-steps-island-capri-italy-phoenecian-steps-anacapri-view-ancient-greekbuilt-overlooking-37779322.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg6UKf7caDsahs0blJXUydmHhrssZu2906bxlI5jv1_QrwC6kYXcaCz0KpCyvxfBGKm7R62JwzVOkwAEgS-2t7vHXUSs_eZfWNJ8-uzpfEiliwU-fcRpmynTHda0ajvvlmktgxTlzBZczn/s320/phoenecian-steps-island-capri-italy-phoenecian-steps-anacapri-view-ancient-greekbuilt-overlooking-37779322.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> a few of the 921 steps (only access) to the hilltop town of Anacapri (Capri, Italy)</td></tr>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02587382812669823711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8095931296976390367.post-2943860442850442582015-12-22T03:50:00.000-08:002015-12-22T09:37:30.424-08:00The Crate of Christmas OrangesWhen I suspected my last post for "Stones by the Road" I didn't mean the blog in general, but the theme that I had chosen for 2015. I felt the focus would shift in 2016 and was waiting to see where the road would lead. In the end, the road goes on and the stones remain, they will just take on broader hues of remembering rather than solely God's acts of faithfulness. They will <i>also </i>come to represent people, stories, and moments that bear epigraph.<br />
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So here I stand, with a stone in my hand and a story to tell.<br />
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When I was a kid, we lived for some years in a refurbished shed with no power and no running water. We drove a mint green 1960's Plymouth Valiant station wagon (when it ran) and I remember wanting to be dropped off a block away from school so noone would see me pulling up in "Betsy". <br />
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Our shack had a refurbished steel barrel for a wood heating stove, oil lamps, propane fridge and stove. In winter (mountain winter, I remember the cold blowing in through the cracks in the chinking, frozen senseless feet on clapboard floors, frosty breath like smoke in the morning) we melted snow to wash dishes and ourselves in an iron basin. In summer a black barrel on a stand outside warmed water for us to shower in the great outdoors. So I know a little bit about roughing it, but I remember it more with fondness than despair. Life was simple; complicated, but simple. I had a swing under the big old evergreens growing on the slope that would swing me way out over the bank until I felt I was suspended between sky and land.<br />
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We got food hampers at Christmas back then, and I vaguely remember my step dad bringing home a tub of hand me down toys and a crate of Christmas oranges from the local community center. We were the have nots.<br />
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Flash forward to today, and here we are, suspended somewhere in the space between the haves and the have nots.<br />
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We knew before we came to Naples that God was giving us a huge home of great value for little more than the rent many pay for a large apartment. We also knew we were coming to a very poor neighborhood that houses (and I use the term loosely as many of them are squatters) more Africans than Italians. In reality, driving down our streets there is little to indicate you are not in Africa.<br />
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Since we came to the field we live on substantially less monthly income and have slightly higher monthly expenses than we used to. We don't know how this works, but so far it seems to be like the lady with the oil in the jar. It never runs out.<br />
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All that said, I look around and I just can't fathom how my neighbors are doing it. We have money for groceries, for insurance for our vehicle, gas for the same, and pellets for our stove (heating source). This Sunday at Il Faro our family helped with handing out our monthly food hampers to 24 families from or with connections to our church who don't have money for any of those things. They live in houses that are mostly unheated except for a wood stove or a fireplace in their kitchen. They go out near daily to hunt for fallen wood in the pine forest (which is illegal) because they can't afford firewood. The temperature here goes down to plus 5 at night and even though it may get to plus 16 during the day, it never takes the humid chill out of a concrete building.<br />
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But they would give you the shirt off their back. Watching them, living among them, we are learning so much about God's economy and living beyond one's means.<br />
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Don't get me wrong, I don't use that term with the North American connotation of living beyond one's means by buying more house, bigger cars, faster toys and maxing out our credit cards. On the contrary, I use the term to refer to <i>giving when you have not</i>.<br />
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You see, we have these neighbors. All they have is each other, the eggs their chickens lay and what goodwill provides them. She comes over a few times every week with eggs for me, and the other day we returned home to find a crate of Christmas oranges on our dining room table. A Christmas present from them. They don't have money to buy themselves meat for their table, but they bought a crate of Christmas oranges for us.<br />
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The oranges have taken on a deep symbolism for me. They represent the couple back home who have struggled financially and made sacrifices as a family of 8 due to lack of work and yet continue to support us faithfully with four times our average monthly support. They represent our missionary friends on the field with us here in Italy who live by faith and give monthly towards our support by faith as well. They represent another beautiful couple who have struggled with unemployment and financial hardship and yet choose to give to make it possible for us to go. They represent the church in Texas who know nothing about us except except for the short bio and family photo they saw in the MSC Canada missionary handbook and yet sent money for us to buy Christmas presents for our kids.<br />
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Lastly, they represent our own unfolding story. Freely you have been given, freely give. I may not have money to buy presents for my own kids, I may not have money to put my kids in activities, but you can bet your bottom dollar our family is giving the gift of firewood to a number of special people this week. And our hearts are warmed and our spirits are happy as we learn to live by God's rich upside down economy that it truly is better to give than to receive.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02587382812669823711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8095931296976390367.post-65927134387538511342015-12-02T15:42:00.001-08:002015-12-02T15:59:09.331-08:00Ordinary Miracles<div class="MsoNormal">
I get the feeling this will be my last post for Stones by
the Road. Not a dead end, but a bend in the road. A friend prayed for me today that the “extraordinary” provisions of God
would become “ordinary” to me. That I would know Him so well, trust Him so deeply,
that I would cease to be surprised but would graciously expect and accept His
divine provision. I think she articulated something that has already been
taking place in me.</div>
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At the end of this year of “gratitude (and trust)”, my
opportunities to exercise both have been legion. I will continue to carry the
rich lessons and memories of this year with me as God’s story for us unfolds
and I know that God will continue to provide more opportunities to continue to
thank and trust Him. As He does, I come to know more and more who my Father is,
and how deeply He loves and cares for us. </div>
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I think the final stone for my little roadside cairn is
fitting for two reasons. One, it has to do with Christmas, and the close of
this year. Two, because in a way it also ties in with the word that God has
given me for 2016.</div>
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Lighting has been on my mind the past few days. Our new
house has those kind of lightbulb candelabras everywhere that use anywhere from
5-8 light bulbs per fixture. Most of the lightbulbs are burned out, leaving
anywhere from 0-3 lightbulbs working per room.
Because Europeans are very conscious of energy consumption may I just
add, that these let off nowhere NEAR the light we are used to living under in
Canada. This is not a bad thing, unless you are trying to read aloud to your
kids after dark.</div>
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The second lighting I have been thinking about is Christmas
lighting. For the tree. Which I hope we get to put up during the course of this
next week.</div>
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So today we went to the grocery store and I stopped short in
the lighting aisle. I was aghast when I saw the prices of the little bulbs we
need for the candelabras. Thinking of the
Christmas lights (priorities people!), I cringed a little and walked away.</div>
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When we got home I was working on the last of my unpacking
in our bedrooms, transferring summer clothes from moving boxes into trunks we
had been given after an American woman moved away. When I got to the last
trunk, I was surprised to find it had stuff in it. My heart kind of skipped a
beat as I anticipated what was coming. I don’t know how I knew, all I can say
is that I am getting to know God…. And yes, there were 5 boxes of unopened Christmas
tree lights (white of course, my favorite) in the bottom of the trunk.</div>
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And what I love about it is that the word God has placed on
my heart for 2016 is “Shine”.</div>
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I think that is what Sarah Maclachlan would call “just another
ordinary miracle today….”</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02587382812669823711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8095931296976390367.post-62345473651141344692015-11-29T06:29:00.000-08:002015-12-22T07:54:14.122-08:00A Beautiful Benefactor<div class="MsoNormal">
The stories I tell of God’s faithfulness might make our life
look like a fairytale. In some ways it
really is. I read this Oswald Chambers quote recently and it really struck home
for me. “As long as we are “rich”, particularly in the area of pride or
independence, God can do nothing for us.“ You see, when you have surrendered all security,
all control, all ability to take care of your own needs yourself that is when
He has the opportunity to do what you wouldn’t need Him to do if you were self sufficient,
self directed and self centered.</div>
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But the reality is that fairytales have a dark side. Yes, warm
houses show up in dark forests, princes show up on white steeds and save
helpless maidens from fiery dragons. But dark forests and fiery dragons exist.</div>
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My writing is primarily a place for me to magnify our Reason
to Sing. He is so good. So faithful. So incredibly incredible. He is. I mean,
He has proven Himself over and over and over. </div>
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Recently I shared about how I turned to God to ask Him to
provide spare beds for us. He did so within days. Right after that occurred I
went home and kind of chuckled to myself, (half) jokingly saying, “Oh man…. why
didn’t I have the foresight to ask You for an armoire and a dresser, too?” The
very next morning my doorbell rings, and the SAME lady who had given me the
beds, sheets and guest towels is standing at the bottom of my stairwell. “Listen,”,
says she, “It’s not that you would be in need of a bedroom suite for your guest
room would you? My neighbor is redoing her rooms and has a set to give away.”</div>
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Of course she is. I may have chuckled as I made the initial jest,
but God definitely got the last laugh as He orchestrated the response. </div>
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His attention to detail is impeccable. In the midst of our move, I realized we were
still one dresser and one armoire short since the girls had been living at
Nonna’s and using her furniture. My first thought was that we would go to Ikea
to pick up a couple of pieces but again, I caught myself. Not my money, not my
job, first ask for what you need. The day after we arrived we were sitting
around the table at Tim and Jacki’s house and retelling the story about the
bedroom suite. She casually mentions, ”If you need another dresser, we have
that one just sitting there you are welcome to take.” <i>That one</i> was the big dresser from Ikea, in the exact finish of our
other furniture… the exact dresser I <i>would
have </i>bought if I had taken care of it myself, oh, and hey, by the way,
there is a matching armoire you are welcome to, too. </div>
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So why… why, why <i>why </i>do
I, like the Israelites in the desert, get to those inevitable points in the
road where the stretch ahead looks bleak, no oasis visible to the barren eye,
and my gut reaction is worry? </div>
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One of these barren vistas is sometimes our monthly support figure
when it arrives via email. Some months it is our oasis, our miracle. Some
months, like this one, I look at the Canadian figure of just over half of what we used to make when we had a
predictable salary, do the math to convert to euros which makes it that much
less, and my heart sinks a little. </div>
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Sometimes, I even panic. Sometimes I even catch myself <i>almost</i> on the brink of thinking out
loud, “God did you bring us out into the wilderness to perish?” Wow. Really? How can I even go there after
all He has done? But the truth is, that at month’s end, when our tummies are
full and our every need is met, I look at the month to come and I question
whether we are going to be able to afford to pay the heating, or worry that
Christmas won’t have Christmas presents or my kids will be forever stunted
because they won’t be able to take music lessons or participate in sports.</div>
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Last night I lay in bed turning these thoughts over and over
in my head. Wrestling with the truth that we are secure in the keeping of our
gracious Heavenly Father, and the lie that we are going to freeze or go hungry
in the wilderness. As a human being I want to DO something to secure control of
our <i>future </i>needs. Always, shamefully, it comes back to this. I
felt that quiet voice telling me to be still and I prayed over and over “Be
still and know that I am God” until my tense muscles relaxed and I drifted off
to sleep.</div>
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This morning I awoke to a quiet, still house, bundled up in
my wool sweater jacket over my fleece pyjamas and moved to sit near the heater
with my bible and journal. After beginning a study on Ruth yesterday I found
myself in chapter 2 and God ministered to me so deeply through the reminder of
how He gave Ruth such exaggeratedly extravagant grace under such a kind, generous benefactor. Boaz’s
words to Ruth appeared magnified on the page as I read them. “May <i>the Lord</i> reward your work and your
wages be full <i>from the Lord</i>, the God
of Israel, under whose wings you have come to seek refuge.” </div>
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A little later I opened our email to discover a
communication from an unknown sender where some sweet ladies (perfect strangers) in Texas wrote the
following greeting; “On behalf of (our assembly) we wish your family a very
merry Christmas and a blessed new Year. Funds were forwarded to (your agency)
for your children for Christmas gifts.”</div>
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Two precious ways God reminded me to be stayed on Him. Two
ways of showing me, reminding me, promising me that He is our Kinsmen Redeemer,
He is our Great Reward, and He, and only He, is and always will be our
Beautiful Benefactor.</div>
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Be still my beating heart and rest in the knowledge that He’s
got the whole crazy world, and our every single circumstance, in His very
capable and all powerful hands.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02587382812669823711noreply@blogger.com0