$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!
Friday, September 16, 2016
Monday, September 12, 2016
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.
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.
Tuesday, September 6, 2016
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.
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.
Sunday, August 28, 2016
Tuesday, August 16, 2016
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.
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!
Wednesday, June 29, 2016
One Man's Garbage is Another Man's Garden
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!
Friday, May 27, 2016
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.
Monday, May 16, 2016
Joy Ride
Our two oldest children have standardized testing beginning today. Because they had taken the tests previously and scored well, they both had the pleasure of going to school two hours later.
My son slept in for a while, then eventually got up and prepared for the day. He was dressed and about to leave out the door when we heard it--the familiar sound of a bus engine revving through our cul-de-sac.
"Is that your bus?" I ask him, already knowing the answer to my question.
"Yeah," he responds.
I had just put our youngest son down for his morning nap and was anxiously awaiting a quiet house where I could do some writing.
"It's 9:15. Why weren't you out there?"
"Because the clock says 9:13 and it's actually not supposed to come until 22 after even though it usually comes at 17 after-"
I interrupt his argument, "Okay, get your brother out of his crib and put on his shoes and coat." I just wanted to get going so I could get back home. "And you will be paying two dollars for a ride." This is the logical consequence that we have assigned whenever our kids miss the bus by a fault of their own. They pay us gas money. The amount changes based on current gas prices. Lately they have been blessed to only have to pay $2 a ride.
As he comes down the stairs with his brother in tow, I wonder about his sister who was up the street walking the neighbor's dog. Her plan was to stay out to catch the bus after she had finished up. Should I text her to see if she needed a ride as well? Nah! She had probably caught the bus or she would have been back home by now asking for a ride, too.
No sooner had the thought crossed my mind when I see her figure coming toward the front porch. As she opens the door I say, "Hey, you're just in time! Your brother needs a ride, too, and the good news is you guys can split your gas fee."
"Cool," she responds.
We get loaded into the van and drive down the street. On the way out of our neighborhood we spot one of the kids' classmates waiting at their bus stop.
"Does he ride your bus?" I ask. They responded that he does.
I do a u-turn in the road and head back to where he is standing. Winding down the window I say, "The bus already came. Would you like a ride?" to which he responds, "Yes, please."
"I'll move in the back," our daughter graciously offers. He gets in and takes the seat next to our 18 month old.
The ride to school is pretty quiet as it tends to be with teenagers in the morning. I initiate some conversation with the young man about his weekend, but that was other than that everyone was silent.
We arrive at school and the boys say their good-byes and thank yous as they get out. My daughter, the last to get out due to being in the rear seat, tells me good-bye and then remarks, "Hey, now we can split our gas fee three ways!"
My son slept in for a while, then eventually got up and prepared for the day. He was dressed and about to leave out the door when we heard it--the familiar sound of a bus engine revving through our cul-de-sac.
"Is that your bus?" I ask him, already knowing the answer to my question.
"Yeah," he responds.
I had just put our youngest son down for his morning nap and was anxiously awaiting a quiet house where I could do some writing.
"It's 9:15. Why weren't you out there?"
"Because the clock says 9:13 and it's actually not supposed to come until 22 after even though it usually comes at 17 after-"
I interrupt his argument, "Okay, get your brother out of his crib and put on his shoes and coat." I just wanted to get going so I could get back home. "And you will be paying two dollars for a ride." This is the logical consequence that we have assigned whenever our kids miss the bus by a fault of their own. They pay us gas money. The amount changes based on current gas prices. Lately they have been blessed to only have to pay $2 a ride.
As he comes down the stairs with his brother in tow, I wonder about his sister who was up the street walking the neighbor's dog. Her plan was to stay out to catch the bus after she had finished up. Should I text her to see if she needed a ride as well? Nah! She had probably caught the bus or she would have been back home by now asking for a ride, too.
No sooner had the thought crossed my mind when I see her figure coming toward the front porch. As she opens the door I say, "Hey, you're just in time! Your brother needs a ride, too, and the good news is you guys can split your gas fee."
"Cool," she responds.
We get loaded into the van and drive down the street. On the way out of our neighborhood we spot one of the kids' classmates waiting at their bus stop.
"Does he ride your bus?" I ask. They responded that he does.
I do a u-turn in the road and head back to where he is standing. Winding down the window I say, "The bus already came. Would you like a ride?" to which he responds, "Yes, please."
"I'll move in the back," our daughter graciously offers. He gets in and takes the seat next to our 18 month old.
The ride to school is pretty quiet as it tends to be with teenagers in the morning. I initiate some conversation with the young man about his weekend, but that was other than that everyone was silent.
We arrive at school and the boys say their good-byes and thank yous as they get out. My daughter, the last to get out due to being in the rear seat, tells me good-bye and then remarks, "Hey, now we can split our gas fee three ways!"
Tuesday, April 26, 2016
Routine Rest
Do you ever thank God for your daily routine?
Today I did some early morning shopping with Story after Blaise left for school. Once we finished and got home, I laid him down for his nap, and put groceries away. When I went upstairs to grab a sweatshirt, there he was in his crib sound asleep.
Seeing this made me pause and say, "Thank you God that he is asleep. Thank you for everyday that he reliably takes his nap. I am so grateful that You've given him a daily routine that I can count on just like I can count on You."
Today I did some early morning shopping with Story after Blaise left for school. Once we finished and got home, I laid him down for his nap, and put groceries away. When I went upstairs to grab a sweatshirt, there he was in his crib sound asleep.
Seeing this made me pause and say, "Thank you God that he is asleep. Thank you for everyday that he reliably takes his nap. I am so grateful that You've given him a daily routine that I can count on just like I can count on You."
Wednesday, April 6, 2016
Fools Rush In
"Is it a need or a want?"
After people read my book Personal Finances Personal Freedom, this question is often the big take-away. Rather than spending on auto-pilot, they recognize the benefit of pausing long enough to answer this question and then make a sober decision.
In my quest to work on building up my business, I am looking at businesses in the Bible. Today I looked at the "Wife of Noble Character" in Proverbs 31. She is often looked at as the prototype of a godly wife, but she was also a successful businesswoman.
One of the verses that gave me pause was, "She considers a field and buys it;..." Considers. The woman did not rush her decision, but was thoughtful, contemplative.
The next sentence says, "...out of her earnings she plants a vineyard." So this verse tells me two things. First, the field was an investment. She put money into it to make money. Second, she saved up her money to make another investment.
In the end, scripture declares the Wife of Noble Character as a woman who "fears the Lord" and "is to be praised." My take-away from her is that wisdom waits on the Lord.
After people read my book Personal Finances Personal Freedom, this question is often the big take-away. Rather than spending on auto-pilot, they recognize the benefit of pausing long enough to answer this question and then make a sober decision.
In my quest to work on building up my business, I am looking at businesses in the Bible. Today I looked at the "Wife of Noble Character" in Proverbs 31. She is often looked at as the prototype of a godly wife, but she was also a successful businesswoman.
One of the verses that gave me pause was, "She considers a field and buys it;..." Considers. The woman did not rush her decision, but was thoughtful, contemplative.
The next sentence says, "...out of her earnings she plants a vineyard." So this verse tells me two things. First, the field was an investment. She put money into it to make money. Second, she saved up her money to make another investment.
In the end, scripture declares the Wife of Noble Character as a woman who "fears the Lord" and "is to be praised." My take-away from her is that wisdom waits on the Lord.
More Stress? More Mess? Please Yes!
"At the end of the day I am more tired now than when I was pregnant!"
I was speaking to a friend in her 40s like me who is enchanted with the thought of having another baby. Her two kids are school age.
It was about two years ago that we discovered we were pregnant--unintentionally. Initially, I struggled to accept that I was going to have to care for another kid rather than celebrating that I get to raise another child. God spoke a message of encouragement directly to me and immediately the Holy Spirit changed me from the inside out. I was a happy pregnant woman!
But that little bundle of boy wears me out! My five senses are perpetually piqued to anticipate his every move. Regularly my arms are given a workout toting his 28-pound frame. Mentally I toil in preparation for excursions away from our home trying not to miss anything needed for him, inevitably forgetting something needed for me.
Even still I would not change one thing. I love seeing the world through his eyes. I love seeing our older kids loving seeing the world through his eyes. God made Story so that he fits right in with the Webbs. He gets us. He knows he's one of us. He belongs.
But that little bundle of boy wears me out! My five senses are perpetually piqued to anticipate his every move. Regularly my arms are given a workout toting his 28-pound frame. Mentally I toil in preparation for excursions away from our home trying not to miss anything needed for him, inevitably forgetting something needed for me.
Even still I would not change one thing. I love seeing the world through his eyes. I love seeing our older kids loving seeing the world through his eyes. God made Story so that he fits right in with the Webbs. He gets us. He knows he's one of us. He belongs.
Monday, March 21, 2016
Doubt-Free
I have been putting off writing about this.
2016 will be the five-year anniversary of "My Mortgage Miracle". Anniversaries are occasions for celebration, right?
Well, I hesitate to celebrate because this year also marks the deadline for the miracle that I am expecting God to perform--paying off our now $78, 822.74 mortgage. Quite honestly, I'm getting nervous.
Why? Because did I hear Him right? Am I sure this is what He spoke to me? Yes, our mortgage has gone down significantly, but that's just from our regular monthly payments. We haven't had any windfalls that we could add to the principal balance. It's like when we had credit card bills and could only afford the minimum payment. That's just where we're at.
As I wasthinking worrying about this recently, trying to figure out how we could tighten our belts even more to make this miracle happen, God interrupted. I cannot quote God verbatim, but what follows is something like what might have been his end of our conversation.
"I never said that I was going to pay off your mortgage the same way I paid off your consumer debt. My ways and my thoughts are not like yours. Stop trying to figure me out and trust me. Trust me based on everything I've been through with you. Trust me because I am God."
He showed me scripture that spoke of his promise to give Abram a land of his own. It reads, "Go, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I am giving it to you." Genesis 13:17 Next to that scripture I had previously written, "our debt" and "being debt-free".
Understand that I am not completely doubt-free. Still there are times when I dwell on what I don't see rather than having faith in what is unseen (Hebrews 11). But I am comforted by how God takes the time to meet me where I am in my weakness.
2016 will be the five-year anniversary of "My Mortgage Miracle". Anniversaries are occasions for celebration, right?
Well, I hesitate to celebrate because this year also marks the deadline for the miracle that I am expecting God to perform--paying off our now $78, 822.74 mortgage. Quite honestly, I'm getting nervous.
Why? Because did I hear Him right? Am I sure this is what He spoke to me? Yes, our mortgage has gone down significantly, but that's just from our regular monthly payments. We haven't had any windfalls that we could add to the principal balance. It's like when we had credit card bills and could only afford the minimum payment. That's just where we're at.
As I was
"I never said that I was going to pay off your mortgage the same way I paid off your consumer debt. My ways and my thoughts are not like yours. Stop trying to figure me out and trust me. Trust me based on everything I've been through with you. Trust me because I am God."
He showed me scripture that spoke of his promise to give Abram a land of his own. It reads, "Go, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I am giving it to you." Genesis 13:17 Next to that scripture I had previously written, "our debt" and "being debt-free".
Understand that I am not completely doubt-free. Still there are times when I dwell on what I don't see rather than having faith in what is unseen (Hebrews 11). But I am comforted by how God takes the time to meet me where I am in my weakness.
Wednesday, March 2, 2016
Pizza Party
Our son Blaise's 10th birthday was last month. Instead of having a party we agreed upon an outing with a friend. Skyzone was the venue of choice and a friend from church was his companion for the evening.
Can anybody relate to the "belated birthday celebration"? It's when your household has so many other things going on that celebrations are put off until weeks after the birthday has come and gone. Before anyone calls Children and Youth on us, keep in mind that we do acknowledge the birthday as well as celebrate as a family on the actual day. The party part however is delayed for lack of time.
Well, today is the day. Blaise's friend will come over after school to have dinner with us and then we'll head to Skyzone for trampoline fun. In lieu of taking the boys out to a meal or delivering pizza in for a meal, I am making my own pizza. Homemade pizza is a staple in our household. Ross would make it in the early years of our marriage when I had ZERO interest in cooking anything that didn't come in a box. Watching him knead that dough made my head spin as I thought, 'I could never learn to do that!' Well, now I am the regular maker of the dough (although I did never learn to knead because my KitchenAid stand mixer's dough hook does that grunt work for me.) Below are the ingredients needed to make a killer pizza dough.
I usually purchase a 3 pack of yeast then knock out three doughs one right after the other while my mixer is out. It takes me about 30 minutes to do all three. Next is the rising process. A nice sunny spot by the window helps this process along quite nicely!
Finally toppings...I did one with basil and cheese and one with sausage and cheese (shown below). I could've kicked myself because I wanted to use feta cheese with the sausage but I forgot and used mozzarella. I purchased a 5 lb. bag of feta for $9.99 at my favorite grocery store last week and have since been incorporating it into every meal known to man :-)
Can anybody relate to the "belated birthday celebration"? It's when your household has so many other things going on that celebrations are put off until weeks after the birthday has come and gone. Before anyone calls Children and Youth on us, keep in mind that we do acknowledge the birthday as well as celebrate as a family on the actual day. The party part however is delayed for lack of time.
Well, today is the day. Blaise's friend will come over after school to have dinner with us and then we'll head to Skyzone for trampoline fun. In lieu of taking the boys out to a meal or delivering pizza in for a meal, I am making my own pizza. Homemade pizza is a staple in our household. Ross would make it in the early years of our marriage when I had ZERO interest in cooking anything that didn't come in a box. Watching him knead that dough made my head spin as I thought, 'I could never learn to do that!' Well, now I am the regular maker of the dough (although I did never learn to knead because my KitchenAid stand mixer's dough hook does that grunt work for me.) Below are the ingredients needed to make a killer pizza dough.
I usually purchase a 3 pack of yeast then knock out three doughs one right after the other while my mixer is out. It takes me about 30 minutes to do all three. Next is the rising process. A nice sunny spot by the window helps this process along quite nicely!
Finally toppings...I did one with basil and cheese and one with sausage and cheese (shown below). I could've kicked myself because I wanted to use feta cheese with the sausage but I forgot and used mozzarella. I purchased a 5 lb. bag of feta for $9.99 at my favorite grocery store last week and have since been incorporating it into every meal known to man :-)
And finally the end product...two fabulously delicious pizzas (as confirmed by our little birthday party guest who exclaimed during dinner, "I need to come to your house more often to eat!") made with ingredients we already had in our kitchen.
Pizza party, anyone?
Friday, February 5, 2016
Mess vs. Message
Easing into my living room chair one morning, I breathed a sigh of relief.
'This is my time', I thought to myself.
It was early morning and I was the only one awake. By no easy effort, I have made a discipline of getting up before the rest of my family to have time alone with God.
Not too long after my back hit the back of the chair, my eyes looked at what lay before me on the living room floor. Toys laying askew with books thrown in the mix-evidence of our one-year old son Story's presence the day before. A typical toddler mess.
I sat staring at what lay before me, not wanting to move to tidy it up. After a bit, I looked more closely at the "mess" and began to smile.
I was sadly mistaken. What the living room floor was really cluttered with was a message, not a mess. Books about Jonah and Moses, along with a kids devotional book were scattered about declaring God's word and faithfulness to our son. How happy it makes me to know that our son is learning the message of Jesus as a child now so that he won't be a mess as an adult later!
'This is my time', I thought to myself.
It was early morning and I was the only one awake. By no easy effort, I have made a discipline of getting up before the rest of my family to have time alone with God.
Not too long after my back hit the back of the chair, my eyes looked at what lay before me on the living room floor. Toys laying askew with books thrown in the mix-evidence of our one-year old son Story's presence the day before. A typical toddler mess.
I was sadly mistaken. What the living room floor was really cluttered with was a message, not a mess. Books about Jonah and Moses, along with a kids devotional book were scattered about declaring God's word and faithfulness to our son. How happy it makes me to know that our son is learning the message of Jesus as a child now so that he won't be a mess as an adult later!
Tuesday, January 12, 2016
Grateful
I'm back! Had to share about God's faithfulness in providing. Most recently he's done the following:
- Allowed us to cancel a "free" trial Amazon Prime account that turned into a not legit Amazon Prime account because the trial expired. Our credit card was billed $104.73 and every last penny is being refunded even though I was late in cancelling the trial.
- Given favor by having a Ph.D. offer his expertise to our church free
- Placed on my sister's heart to bless our family with a bag of household goods she purchased with her coupon know-how (see below)
I am grateful and just had to share.
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