We met with a real estate agent this morning. Oh my! It will be a testament of the power of God if we can sell our house by August so Gus can start seminary in the fall! There were some homes like ours that sold in 60 days, but so many that are still on the market after almost a year. So I could see Gus' heart sink that we might have to move this winter and start seminary in January. I also felt a huge moment of anxiety after she left because there is so much to be done and that the timing of many things are really going to have to work out - selling the house, finding a new house, when to leave current job, finding another job, and a few other things. So I got on my knees and just gave each and every anxious feeling and each and every step to the Lord. We will trust in God that Gus will be there to start the day that He has already planned for him to be in his first class. If you hear me talking about it any other way, will you please remind me that God is in control!
It was really helpful to have the real estate agent give us some hints on what to do other than the work we already knew had to be done. Also learned that many of the things I learned working in a real estate office for 8 years haven't changed, so we were already ahead in our plans. Another sign that God has us in the places, jobs, and situations over our lifetime for a reason. I never considered I might use that real estate experience at some point.
So the goal is to have the house on the market by the end of April which is the best time of the year to sell a house. We're going to have to pretty much do nothing else between now and then but work on the house. Zachary graciously offered to give me a break from homeschooling until the end of April so I can do house stuff - like that's gonna happen! So we prep our field so God can send a steady rain of home buyers!
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Wife in Its Proper Place
After attending the Weekend To Remember Marriage Conference, God gave me so much to pray about. As I thought about being sure our marriage was in the proper place amongst our every day priorities, I began to pray to God to show me the proper place for my ministry as Gus' wife and as mom to Ryan and Zachary. Just like many wives today, I tend to put my children first when it is my husband that should take the next place after God. Oh, how I fail at that! Usually my husband gets the leftovers of my time, energy, and love each day and if there are no leftovers, then he doesn't get anything at all. So how am I going to support his new ministry, when I fail at being a support to him now? Only the Lord can give that kind of strength and guidance.
I turn to Proverbs 31 - one of my favorite passages of scripture - and the book of Ruth. The virtuous wife is a description of the kind of wife a woman should strive to be. A wife is an efficient and organized homemaker; always watching over her home. She has a forever commitment to her husband and would never do anything to bring dishonor to his name. Verse 28 says "her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her." The praise from family is meaningful because they are the ones that observe her in every situation and truly know her character. It is difficult to admit how often I do things that please others before I do those things that are a blessing to my husband and children. In the book of Ruth, I love 1:16,17. Although she says it to her mother-in-law, it is a wonderful commitment to my husband: "Entreat me not to leave you, or to turn back from following after you; for wherever you go, I will go; and wherever you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God, my God. Where you die, I will die, and there will I be buried. The Lord do so to me, and more also, if anything but death parts you and me." I am especially feeling this passage as my husband leads me away from the state I have lived in all my life and from the place I have lived over 20 years!
Gus would be the first to admit that he likes our roles to be like those that for most today would be considered "old fashioned". He likes to be the spiritual leader, provider, and protector of his family. It pleases him beyond measure to come home to dinner, a clean and neat home, and a wife that wants to hear about his day. I have to say "I dig" that about him! It pleases me beyond measure to do these things for him. But I have to admit that since we started homeschooling almost two years ago, I have let most of that fall to the wayside and the management of my home - or the lack thereof - and the pleasing of my husband has fallen to the wayside. Thank the Lord he is a God whose strength can be renewed in me each new day. Thank the Lord for a husband who is understanding, forgiving, and wonderful at fulfilling his role! I greatly desire to get back to my "old fashioned" role!
One book I love is "Passionate Housewives Desperate for God" by Jennie Chancey and Stacy McDonald. I was drawn to it from the beginning because it used the word "housewife". Does any woman like to be called a housewife anymore? How about a homemaker? I love those two words and strive to be able to feel worthy of being called those once again! I end this post with one of my favorite passages from this book:
"Homemaking isn't about starched aprons, pearls, and high heels. It's about doing the will of God even when the world scoffs. It's about loving the high calling that God especially has given to women. It's about learning to trust when circumstances would tell us to doubt and fear. We are called to be different - not conformed to the pattern of this world but transformed by Christ (Romans 12:2). We are to live in such a way that others may have hope. When we trust in the Lord and submit to His design for marriage, family, home, and church, then our homemaking accomplishes far more than just making homes. It has the power to impact countless lives and generations for the glory of God."
I turn to Proverbs 31 - one of my favorite passages of scripture - and the book of Ruth. The virtuous wife is a description of the kind of wife a woman should strive to be. A wife is an efficient and organized homemaker; always watching over her home. She has a forever commitment to her husband and would never do anything to bring dishonor to his name. Verse 28 says "her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her." The praise from family is meaningful because they are the ones that observe her in every situation and truly know her character. It is difficult to admit how often I do things that please others before I do those things that are a blessing to my husband and children. In the book of Ruth, I love 1:16,17. Although she says it to her mother-in-law, it is a wonderful commitment to my husband: "Entreat me not to leave you, or to turn back from following after you; for wherever you go, I will go; and wherever you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God, my God. Where you die, I will die, and there will I be buried. The Lord do so to me, and more also, if anything but death parts you and me." I am especially feeling this passage as my husband leads me away from the state I have lived in all my life and from the place I have lived over 20 years!
Gus would be the first to admit that he likes our roles to be like those that for most today would be considered "old fashioned". He likes to be the spiritual leader, provider, and protector of his family. It pleases him beyond measure to come home to dinner, a clean and neat home, and a wife that wants to hear about his day. I have to say "I dig" that about him! It pleases me beyond measure to do these things for him. But I have to admit that since we started homeschooling almost two years ago, I have let most of that fall to the wayside and the management of my home - or the lack thereof - and the pleasing of my husband has fallen to the wayside. Thank the Lord he is a God whose strength can be renewed in me each new day. Thank the Lord for a husband who is understanding, forgiving, and wonderful at fulfilling his role! I greatly desire to get back to my "old fashioned" role!
One book I love is "Passionate Housewives Desperate for God" by Jennie Chancey and Stacy McDonald. I was drawn to it from the beginning because it used the word "housewife". Does any woman like to be called a housewife anymore? How about a homemaker? I love those two words and strive to be able to feel worthy of being called those once again! I end this post with one of my favorite passages from this book:
"Homemaking isn't about starched aprons, pearls, and high heels. It's about doing the will of God even when the world scoffs. It's about loving the high calling that God especially has given to women. It's about learning to trust when circumstances would tell us to doubt and fear. We are called to be different - not conformed to the pattern of this world but transformed by Christ (Romans 12:2). We are to live in such a way that others may have hope. When we trust in the Lord and submit to His design for marriage, family, home, and church, then our homemaking accomplishes far more than just making homes. It has the power to impact countless lives and generations for the glory of God."
Monday, February 14, 2011
Marriage In Its Proper Place
It feels so great to begin working on our list of things that has to be done for us to move. We are praying for a Fall 2011 start date at seminary. In thinking about being prepared to make these major changes in our lives, God placed upon our hearts to be better prepared in some most important areas first. Our personal times with God every day, our devotion times as a family, our times with God as a couple, and our marriage (not necessarily in that order).
We attended a FamilyLife Marriage weekend this past Friday through Sunday and it was fabulous. We felt it was really important to have our focus on our marriage back in its proper place before Gus starts seminary and gets pulled in so many different directions. It will not glorify God for our marriage to suffer while Gus is doing other things to glorify God. Like most couples with children, we are not that great at putting our marriage first before other areas. The needs of the children, their activities, our individual volunteer and service projects, our family service projects, and various other things tend to come before our commitment to each other. We received a nice refresher this weekend on putting each other before the long list of other things needing our attention. We have occasional date nights, but how nice it was to be away and it was easier to just focus on each other, be reminded of God's plan for marriage, and that our marriage should glorify Him in every way.
At the end of the weekend, we renewed our vows to each other and it was a wonderful moment in our marriage. I'm sure Satan will not miss the opportunity to attack our marriage even more than usual while we take on this new challenge. But God gave us to each other and with Him holding us in His hands, I say "BRING IT ON!"
We attended a FamilyLife Marriage weekend this past Friday through Sunday and it was fabulous. We felt it was really important to have our focus on our marriage back in its proper place before Gus starts seminary and gets pulled in so many different directions. It will not glorify God for our marriage to suffer while Gus is doing other things to glorify God. Like most couples with children, we are not that great at putting our marriage first before other areas. The needs of the children, their activities, our individual volunteer and service projects, our family service projects, and various other things tend to come before our commitment to each other. We received a nice refresher this weekend on putting each other before the long list of other things needing our attention. We have occasional date nights, but how nice it was to be away and it was easier to just focus on each other, be reminded of God's plan for marriage, and that our marriage should glorify Him in every way.
At the end of the weekend, we renewed our vows to each other and it was a wonderful moment in our marriage. I'm sure Satan will not miss the opportunity to attack our marriage even more than usual while we take on this new challenge. But God gave us to each other and with Him holding us in His hands, I say "BRING IT ON!"
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Taking the steps
Martin Luther King, Jr. said, "Faith is taking the first step even when you can't see the whole staircase." So as we step out in faith on this journey, we have started by making a list of some of those steps. We ask for prayer as we will need God's guidance and His wisdom as we do in everything we do every day! But feel like we will be on our knees more than usual for a few of these - like selling our house in the current market!
1. Apply to Southern Seminary
2. Find a job for Gus in Louisville.
3. Repairs to our home here and put our house on the market.
4. Find a place to live in Louisville.
5. Going through all the stuff we have accumulated over 20 years in this house.
6. Packing and moving to another state.
There will be many smaller steps underneath all these larger ones. I look forward to sharing how God is moving us in all these steps. We cannot see the whole staircase, but we will take the steps and God is the banister we hold on to as we climb.
1. Apply to Southern Seminary
2. Find a job for Gus in Louisville.
3. Repairs to our home here and put our house on the market.
4. Find a place to live in Louisville.
5. Going through all the stuff we have accumulated over 20 years in this house.
6. Packing and moving to another state.
There will be many smaller steps underneath all these larger ones. I look forward to sharing how God is moving us in all these steps. We cannot see the whole staircase, but we will take the steps and God is the banister we hold on to as we climb.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Southern Seminary - Louisville, Kentucky
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Preparing our fields for rain
I can't believe I'm blogging! First my reason for starting this blog is a way to help our family keep up with our life as we answer God's call and start our new adventure. One of my favorite parts in the movie "Facing the Giants" is where the gentlemen tells the coach this story: Two farmers desperately needed rain. One farmer prayed for rain and waited. The other farmer prayed for rain, went out and prepared his fields, then waited for rain. Which one trusted God to send the rain? My awesome husband, Gus, has known for several years now that God was calling him to seminary and a life of ministry. Finally this past spring, he felt God telling him the time is now. When we had talked about it years ago, he was looking at Southeastern Theological Seminary in North Carolina or Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia. Naturally when he told me it was time to move in this direction, I assumed it would be to one of these seminaries. To my surprise he said it would be Southern Seminary. I said, "Great, where is that?" He of course said it was in Louisville, Kentucky. My next comment was "what?" I have lived in Virginia all my life, so I needed to be sure he was absolutely positive this was what God wanted. In September, we headed down to Southern Seminary's preview weekend. And my oh my, it was confirmation from the moment we arrived until we left that it was where we are suppose to be! Don't ever let anyone tell you that God doesn't speak to His people today! So we are obediently preparing the fields and waiting for rain. We will begin to get our home in order to sell and move to Louisville, Kentucky by the fall of this year for Gus to attend Southern Seminary. I hope this blog will serve not only as a way to keep our family posted on our life in Kentucky but to show how God is moving and leading us along this path.
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