That's a Miracle

$75, 946.42...the balance on our mortgage as of 90 seconds ago when I checked.

First and foremost I want to share that God did not mess up.  I messed up.  I said that I heard God tell me that He was going to pay off our mortgage in five years which would have technically been yesterday if you go by the date when I began this blog, and even earlier if you go by the date when I believed I heard Him five summers ago.  That has not happened.

Because the miracle that I was expecting did not happen, I went to God and asked for His forgiveness.  Why?  For being a false prophet and incorrectly speaking on His behalf.  The Bible says,

You may say to yourselves, "How can we know when a message has not been spoken by the Lord?"  If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the Lord does not take place or come true, that is a message the Lord has not spoken.  That prophet has spoken presumptuously. Deuteronomy 18:21-22

To put it plainly, I was wrong.  Realizing that I spoke falsely in my Lord's name is an extremely humbling experience.  It has made me question my motives and look more closely at my relationship with Him.  I am reminded of the verse that tells us that He is the Good Shepherd--He knows His sheep and His sheep know Him.  I should know His voice.

For the past month I have been reading Experiencing God.  Our church had used the book for a summer Bible study series, but our family was not available to attend Bible study regularly during the summer months.  I felt drawn to read the book on my own.  In doing so, I have been refreshed by Biblical truths that I had discounted after having given my life to Jesus so many years ago.

Most recently I was reading about how God speaks to His people and came across the Deuteronomy verses that I shared above.  This was two days prior to the deadline for which I believed God would pay off our mortgage--talk about timeliness!  Even in my sin He saw fit to prepare me with His word.  That's love.  That's a miracle!

The Final Countdown

September 15th 2011--the date of my first blog post.

I am wondering if I heard from God 5 years ago what I thought I heard from Him.  This Thursday will be the date that I have been expecting God to have paid off our mortgage.  I know that He can.  My question is if He will.

Doing the Ripe Thing

I purchased some green bananas from the grocery store several weeks ago.  I always get them green whenever we are not quite ready to use them.  Typically they ripen and turn yellow within a few days.  However this batch of bananas was not turning color.

A few days turned into a week and a week became several weeks.  Still we had green bananas!  Eventually, during my next grocery trip, I got another batch of bananas that was already yellow.

For no particular reason, I took and put the bananas next to one another in the usual "banana spot" on our counter.  This morning, I saw this...

My bananas were finally turning yellow!  It made me think about the influence of the companions we choose.  Once the green bananas got around the bananas that were doing the "ripe" thing, they started ripening.  Left to themselves they just sat and remained the same.  Hebrews 10:24, 25 reminds us how it is important to be around those who are going to encourage us in doing good and correct us when we are going the wrong way.  Sometimes we don't want to hear about our shortcomings and faults.  But God challenges us to get around good company that doesn't let us stay green.

I'm Rooting for You!

We have roots!

Stem project

I was at the Farmer's Market today picking up some veggies for cooking and canning.  As I went to leave, I passed by the plant vendor and there on the ground was a piece from the plant below.

Hmm...I wonder if I could grow this plant from the detached piece laying on the ground?  But more importantly is it appropriate to pick up a discarded piece of plant that could potentially produce a plant that the plant that the vendor is asking $10 for?  I didn't ponder the question long before taking a brief look around, picking up the abandoned stem, and high-tailing it to my vehicle like it was contraband.

My precious find is now getting a nice drink in its new home.  I will let you know the results! 

One Man's Garbage is Another Man's Garden

 

Our local Craigslist had an advertisement for free wood pallets and wood scraps at a construction dump site.  It was pretty much self-serve as you can see.

So with my 15-month old cheering me on from his rear-facing car seat, I got busy.  Not only were there wood scraps in the dumpster, there were also used soda cups, cigarette butts, and other varieties of assorted trash.  Oh happy day!

For my valor, I was rewarded with the spoils you see here.

These materials meant for waste yielded two square foot gardens for growing vegetables and one pallet garden for growing herbs.  Trash to treasure!

 

What a Relief!

The past few months have been a whirlwind for me.  Our family of six has had the following activities in progress:

• High school baseball (now into an extended season due to making the playoffs--whoo-hoo!)
• Church choir
• Little league baseball
• Track and field
• Bookkeeper for high school baseball
• Boy scouts
• Planning for two large-scale events

Along with the motoring around to and from these activities, there is the added responsibility and preparation that comes along with each.  The Holy Spirit has been instrumental in helping me keep my attitude in check during this busy season of life.  But boy I could use a good chiropractor to help me with my neck and shoulders as well!

After my walk this morning, I was doing my best to try and stretch my neck to get some relief.  I let my head drift backwards as far as it would go on its fulcrum (i.e. my neck--hubby the physics teacher would be proud) and couldn't help but look heavenward.  This is what I saw.

Exactly as you are seeing this picture on your screen is how I saw it in the sky.  As long as my gaze was skyward, I could only see this beautiful blue expanse.  Everything else was blocked from my view.  It was surreal to know that I was on the ground and yet feel like I was in the sky.

In this busy season it would be easy to lose perspective.  The hours, the days zoom by so quickly that it can feel like I am just part of time and nothing more.  But having a Savior has helped me to focus on those things that are eternal.  At the end of a crazy day when the realization sets in that tomorrow is going to be equally crazy, I find relief in looking past the schedule and looking to the Scheduler.