Epiphanies (and ABBA music playing in my head!)

"Mama Mia" inspired us to dress up and dance!











"You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand." John 13:7

"The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delvers them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. A righteous man may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all."
Psalm 34:17-19

Who knew that God could use a Hollywood movie to shine some light on life? Well, I sure know that now! I had the wonderful pleasure of going to see the movie, "Mamma Mia" with my sister during my recent visit to Lubbock. And, well, simply put...it is one of the silliest and most fantastic movies I've seen in quite a while (not to mention fantastic music throughout, whether or not all the actors/actresses could hit all their notes!). The lesson I heard throughout the movie, and that God wanted me to be reminded of and to hear, was quite simple...to not take life so seriously. Have fun, embrace this gift of life He has given us, enjoy, laugh, relish in Him, and live this gift of life to the absolute fullest we can. Now, I know...those aren't all clear, concise, resounding themes throughout the movie, however, it was the underlying theme that rang out clear to me, and encouraged my heart to soar.

See, with my current study of the Psalms (and plenty of time spent face-down before our loving Lord), I have come to understand some certain Truths that have been so difficult for me to grasp & understand. For instance, in light of our family's current trials, how can I rise above the sour circumstances and claim joy? How does a Christian do this? How is it possible to shine His light when you are so disappointed, grief stricken, and/or unclear as to where the Lord is leading/what He is doing/why things are happening the way they are? In Psalm 34:17-19, we find our promise...and it resounds in many of the other Psalms, as well. He is above all circumstances. He is in control. He is good to us. He hems us in and protects us. We may have to endure much in this fallen world, and fallen society, but He is there....waiting to refine & grow us for the Kingdom He ultimately has for us.
Beth Moore writes (in her Psalms of Ascents study), "God's delivering us from every ounce of trial will never develop the relationship that occurs when He shows Himself faithful right in the midst of difficulty, delivering us through it. That's where we come to know Him, to love Him, to appreciate Him."
Such truth in those words! Upon reading these words, I am reminded of the single common thread that has been the underlying theme to my life this past year & a half upon moving to Texas (and thus embarking on this "season of trials")...to truly learn how to PRAISE Him.
Where have I learned to turn in times of trouble, brokenness, pain, as well as, joy, thankfulness, and gratitude? Where will my help come from?
"My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not allow my foot to slip, Your Protector will not slumber." Psalm 121:2-3
Yes, life has been difficult. Yes, I have cried buckets of tears. But, never have I been closer to Him, felt Him refining me so deeply, holding & carrying me, and allowing Him such sweet control & surrender of my mind, body, heart, & soul. He is doing great things...He is doing great things indeed.
So, rest assured that this "Dancing Queen" is discovering how to allow Him complete control, which then encourages me to focus on Him only & rise above circumstances. Through Him, I can embrace this life He has gifted me with, sing praises and thanksgiving to Him all the day long!
Let us all strive to embrace this life He has given, live it fully & joyfully to Him, and praise His good & worthy name forevermore!
You, too, can be a "Dancing Queen!"

Finding Encouragement through Disappointment

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the Lord. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth; it will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace...." Isaiah 55:8-12

This has been the most significant disappointment that I have encountered in a long while, and I struggle hourly to remain above the disappointment, anxiety, fears, & tears. Things are easier as we venture from the home to different places, however as soon as we return home, the storm clouds settle again into my heart and soul. Yes, it's hard on me, but it is also hard on the family, especially Cameron & Taylor who know enough that something has happened, but don't quite understand the complexities of it all. Or, why mom hasn't been smiling more these past couple of days.
But, the Lord is gracious in His Word. He has continuously led me to the words and promises written by the prophet Isaiah. And, in these words I find comfort. In these words I find guidance. In these words, I see His ultimate purpose, wait & trust patiently in Him, that He is protecting and guiding, and His ultimate plan in all this will be revealed in His time. We are asked to patiently wait, listen, trust, & obey.
A good friend, and ever-so wise woman, recently wrote and shared the following words with me, and they are comforting, encouraging, and hold so much Truth:

"What a mystery to this turn of events is to us, but not to God. It
is so difficult to trust God when we cannot see His Hand. Perhaps His
Hand of protection is raised...Who can know also anything about this
fragile and crazy economy! We just have to trust what we cannot see.
Sometimes our feelings overpower what God may be trying to say. I am
going to pray that you and Rob will be able to hear and perceive what
you do not currently know ("deep calling unto deep"). Stay under the
Word of God. Wait to hear from Him. Do not panic about this. Your
home is beautiful & it will sell at "just the right time." I can
promise you that when you and Rob get to the other side of this (which
you will), you will see that "God was in it all along". We will be
praising Him for His infinite wisdom!!! Everything is OK! Just wait
and see. "

All I can say is, thank heavens we are headed to the beach at the end of the week! Youth ministry and Fun in the Son saves the day again! Oh, how I cannot wait to be on the beach, be with others, worshipping and praising our precious Lord & Savior, and encouraging others in their walk with Christ.

Lord, may your Spirit fill my heart and soul throughout today so that I can shine YOU. Your strength and not my own...

Setbacks

"Hear, O Lord, my righteous plea; listen to my cry...I call on you, O God, for you will answer me; give ear to me and hear my prayer. Show the wonder of your great love, you who save by your right hand those who take refuge in you from their foes. Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings..."
Psalm 17:1,6-8

It is with great sadness that I write this post. The contract has fallen through on our current home, and as of right now, we are not moving and everything is stalled as we move back to where we started, and that is to have the house be back on the market.
We found out late last night that the buyers of our home dropped the contract, yet we still have no reasoning as to why. Yes it was past the option period, and yes, things like this aren't supposed to happen. So, we have decisions to make, emotions to grapple with, and a house to get back together for show/sell mode. Yes, we are heart-broken. And, yes, we are currently baffled by this turn of events. Maybe it's God's protective Hand...maybe it's a test of continued faith & perseverence...whatever it is, we are left baffled & heart-broken by this turn of events.
We are hopeful that our realtor will make contact with the buyer's agent today (so far, his calls have not been answered) and have some of our questions resolved. Until then, we move forward to ready our home "For Sale" once again. Pleasejoin us in prayer for the owners of the home we were going to buy...I know they are in the same predicament we are and their hearts are broken today too (as we had to w/draw our contract). Truly, our God is faithful & His will & plan perseveres.
Pray also for Rob and I as we (hopefully) discuss things tonight. I say hopefully, b/c I am unaware of his schedule. He just returned from Mexico late last night, and then went right into work as of this morning. I am hoping we can find some time tonight to pray, process, and sort through some of this muddle. Pray for guidance, as the path we thought was so clear, has officially become dark & gloomy. His hand is there, guiding and directing, we simply need ears to hear, faith to move, and trust to persevere through this storm.
And, please pray for my heart...it is broken in a thousand different pieces. I am finding solace in the Psalms (16 & 17 to be exact)....but clarity and answers to the baffling situation would be a blessing from Above.

Making Sacrifices

We're having to say good-bye...and having to let go. God has asked us to make some sacrifices, and our home is one of the top things that we are being asked to let go of. It's necessary, and I know it is a blessed thing, as I've experienced God's peace throughout this entire journey. However, my own humanness makes it still hard, as I grieve some of the material things (ammenities in our home) that I am being asked to sacrifice. But, I long for being in His will & living for Him in all I do, and for this sense of peace and joy, I let go of our home graciously and gladly.
You see, as I've mentioned, this entire move revolves around God asking us to make some sacrifices. Basically, He has asked us to do so in order we can bring more glory to Him with our finances. It has involved months of prayer, beginning initially with Rob coming to me several months ago saying that his heart was uneasy about not being in God's will with our home. We have had many financial difficulties, and basically, life has hit us hard this last year & a half with the extra financial strain/drain that a more expensive home can bring (upscale homes can be quite needy!). It has been needy in that it didn't have updated major appliances (meaning heating & A/C, water heaters, etc), which it now does. Don't get me wrong, there have been many blessings along the way, and God has definitely cared for us. However, things have also been very difficult. We just haven't found our financial footing since moving back to Texas from Virginia, & we definitely haven't been glorifying God with our finances (meaning tithing has taken a backseat to life's agenda, home stressors, and medical emergencies). Anyway....it was this past April (during our church's Women's Retreat) that God really got a hold of my heart and brought me to a point to lay it all down and realize that sacrifice is what He was indeed teaching us (or me...b/c yes, I love our home and it's many wonderful ammenities...don't even ask me how difficult it is going to be to let go of the pantry I can twirl around in!). So, our current goal is to reduce our mortgage so that we can live more w/in margin & that we can give to our church, family & others that which we feel called to give, glorifying Him through it all.
Within all this, a move will also allow us to get our daughter, Cameron, into the elementary school that we prefer. It hasn't been the driving force by any means, but ended up being one of the blessings that has come from the decision we made. The school we are zoned for simply doesn't have the strength in leadership and resources that the move into this new district will give us.
All that said, after a trying couple of months (between April & end of May) working hard to get our house on the market (we had several set backs, including a flooded guest bedroom and have to add new flooring!), we finally got it on the market just before the girls and I left for a mission trip to San Antonio the beginning of June. Saturday, June 7th, to be exact. The rest of the story, thus far, is that our house SOLD by Wednesday, June 11th!! So, even in this market and these times, God's timing was to have it sold in FIVE days, complete with the sale being right at our asking price! He is bigger than the housing market, He is faithful, and yes, He is amazing! This is certainly something we already knew, yet I continue to be in awe that He felt inclined to ultimately show us how He was in complete control of this step of faith & obedience from us in selling our home. Yes, all this happened during the same morning, on the mission trip, that I was dealing with having my car window replaced after a break-in to it! Needless to say, it was a crazy day! All in all, we are certainly excited to be in the home He has picked out for us. We are looking forward to moving into a home that is two doors down from my mother-in-law, in the school zone we desired, and a lower mortgage payment with the ability to pay off our home in 15 years vs. 30 years! To God be the glory!!
As long as all goes well, we will close on our old & new homes July 15th. We would certainly appreciate your prayers for continued smooth transition, strength for packing, and then endurance for unpacking. Thank you, whoever is reading, for your prayers & support! God is good and to HIM be the glory!
And, be forewarned, there may be some saddened blog entries as I endure letting go of this place we have called home for the last year & a half. A girl just has to have a place to unwind and let go.

Make a slideshow - it's easy!