Wednesday of the Word

I started to title this one Wordless Wednesday, because Rob was supposed to have heard something from a guy he interviewed with last week. And he did hear from him, but there was no real news. Basically, the company is at a stand-still because of the economy, and nothing can be done for a few weeks. Not what we were hoping to hear!


But, when I started to type the title, I immediately deleted it. I realized that was what Satan wanted me to think. This entire situation has been a faith-building test. I have never seen God more vividly than I see Him right now. And trust me, I am usually the type to give up on God when things get rough. But there have been so many signs along the way, that I know He is holding on tight to us, and there are greater things in store for us.


I am taking this opportunity to share with you some bits from the Word that some of our friends have emailed. If you haven't checked the comments in my previous blog, there are some really good verses there too. Erin, Amber, Shelley, Robyn, and Allison--I have been meaning to email you and thank you for your encouragement. I hope you accept this public shout-out in place of a personalized thank-you!

Here are more treasures from God's word:
Beth Chaney wrote:
"'Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.' ~ James 1:2-4"

June Akers wrote:
"Someone might have already sent you this scripture, but Jer. 29:11 is one of my favorites when we are facing uncertain times. God is in control!!! Isn't that wonderful to know?!!!"

Cindy DeArman wrote:
"'He shall deliver you in six troubles, yes, in seven no evil shall touch you.' ~Job 5:19
'Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him.' ~James 1:12 NIV"

Christi Key wrote (After admitting that she is technologically challenged, I might add. Shout out to you Christi--trust me, you are not the only one!):
"Romans 8:28- 'And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.' This is my favorite verse in the Bible, and I lean heavily upon it."

Sumer Yates wrote:
"'I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.' ~Phillipians 4:11-13.
"I am doing a Beth Moore Bible study and she talked about this verse... 'Though youths grow weary and tired, And vigorous young men stumble badly, Yet those who wait for the LORD will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary.' ~Isaiah 40:30-31. And [Beth M.] said that at first she did not fully understand because there is nothing more exhausting than waiting on something. No strength is renewed in waiting on an event. But God revealed to her if we wait upon Him and not upon an event our strength will be renewed."

After these responses, I have to admit that I am very happy I asked for your favorite verses. When going through a tough spot, it's easy to find only one or two verses, and only hold on to those verses during the trial. Perhaps that is my simple mind that has a hard time comprehending too many of God's unfathomable, never-ending promises.

Since I am simple-minded, I will sum these up for myself:
God will be with us, He won't leave us, and we should not be afraid or discouraged. He has plans to prosper us--when we pray, He will listen, and when we seek Him with all our hearts, we will find Him. We will neither be forsaken nor left begging bread. We should not be anxious, but petition God with Thanksgiving. God will meet our needs according to His glorious riches in Christ. We should not worry about what we will eat or wear--God takes care of the birds and we are worth more than them to Him! If we seek Him, He will provide for us. Don't worry about everything, but pray about it instead. Tell God what we need, and thank Him for all He has done, and then we will experience a peace that surpasses understanding--a peace which will guard our hearts and minds [from the world and from anything the Evil One can throw our way (my addition)] as we live in Christ. We should be joyful as we go through this trial, for tests of faith build preseverence, so that we may be mature and complete. God will deliver us from many troubles [in His time], and no evil will touch us during those troubles. If we persevere while in this trial, then we will be blessed and will receive the crown of life He has promised to those of us who love Him. All things will work together for our good--why? Because we love Him and we are called according to His purpose. We should take advice from Paul and be content while in this situation, just as we would be content if we had a job and our TN home had sold--our strength comes from Christ [not from ourselves]. If we wait for the Lord, we will gain new strength, e.g. we will run and not get tired [that means a lot to me because... I. Don't. Run.]. And I'll give credit to Beth Moore here: If we wait on God and not for our house to sell; if we wait on our precious Lord and not on a job--then our strength will be renewed!

WOW! You would think I would be mentally tired from all that application, that my fingers would quit working after typing all that, that my Spirit would be overwhelmed by the wide spectrum of hope and peace and call to trust and call to continue to live in Him. But, I'm not. I'm excited. I am PUMPED! It doesn't get any better than this, people. Praise God we are unemployed! Praise God we are tired of waiting on our house to sell! If not for these trials, I wouldn't know how close I could get to God while still being on this earth and in this human body. Oh, I'm close, and in case you want to know--He is beautiful!

Invitation to Bible scholars

Here's the drill: In January, Makita USA put up a contraption that hasn't been seen for at least half a century anywhere in the world--a guillotine. Well, their contraption was more abstract than concrete, but it sure worked just as well on Rob's job. And they pretty much lined up a bunch of people, just like during the Reign of Terror.

Yes, that's right, we are now a part of the unemployed group. Although I was not working outside the home, I was working inside the home (saving money on childcare and eating out), so Rob's income was "our" income. And besides that, the fact that we are both actively looking for jobs at the moment would mean that both of us are technically unemployed.

This is week 3 of Rob being home. He had several interests at one point, and our hopes were high. But, we have recently found out that one interest has declined (the company is on a hiring freeze), and the company Rob interviewed with Monday has gone with a prospect who has more industry experience. So, we have two interests left: one which Rob will interview for on Thursday, and another which is moving very slowly.

I know that our hope rests in our Omniscient God, and not in these earthly opportunities. And I can feel that we are in God's hands, because He has provided so many signs along the way. But every now and then, Satan gets in a little attack of panic.

Still, I see this as an opportunity for God to reveal who He is and how mighty He is. One of the ways God communicates to us is through His Word, and another way is through our fellow believers. So, I want to open the floor to Bible scholars, fellow Christians, and anyone who feels they have a word of encouragement from our Father for us. I'm posting this here, and not sending out an email, because I want to have this forever--to remember what we felt like in this moment, to see how our friends encouraged us, and to look back after we are in a better place to see exactly what our awesome God did for us.

Please share with us your favorite promises in the Word or any verses God lays on your heart. Thanks in advance for praying and for sharing. We love and treasure you all!

Catching Up (first with my addictions)

Ok, so I have some blog-catchin-up to do. I just saw Erin's Bad-list, and think that would be something good to blog, but first I've got to do my "Five Addictions" list that Allison tagged me to do. I also have some others up my sleeve, but that requires downloading pictures, which I have not done in 6 weeks. Ahem! Ok, ok, let me give credit where credit is due--Rob has not downloaded pictures in 6 weeks. We currently have 376 pictures sitting on our camera. Sheesh! That will take a while to go through and edit.

Anyway, so here's the list of addictions:

1. Reese's Cups
2. Reese's Peanut Butter Trees (a.k.a. hearts, eggs... the "alias" depends on the season)
3. Breyer's chocolate chip ice cream (yes, I have expensive taste in ice cream).
4. Godiva chocolates (Oh yes, very expensive taste in chocolates--but they are SOOOooooo good--and I really, really want some for Valentine's. That might not happen,but that is yet another blog. I'm SO behind!)
5. Sweet tea.

Yeah, so my addictions are all edible. That is my struggle right now--so much so that I don't dare do WW or some other diet plan. The sweet tea has been a life-long addiction. I was raised on it. But, it's not hard to throw some sugar (ok, a LOT of sugar) into a pitcher and boil some water on the stove and put tea bags in. So, so easy. And a lot cheaper than buying a gallon at the store. Oh, and the chocolate? That has ALWAYS been an addiction for me. And peanut butter and chocolate together? Pure bliss. This Reese's commercial was made for me.

If I get inspired, maybe I'll try this list again first thing in the morning, when I'm not craving. The cravings usually hit about 10:00 a.m. and don't go away the rest of the day. And watching Reese's commercials doesn't help at all! I'm going to get one now--see ya later, people! Pure bliss awaits.

Following a friend's soapbox

Ok, so I am borrowing this from Amber's soapbox, but I just saw an article on it that fired me up even more.

The mother of octuplets has 6 more kids at home, taken care of by her mother while she is in the hospital. Some things I didn't know:

• The grandmother of the babies says she will be gone when the mother gets home from the hospital. (I'm betting the mother was counting on her mother staying to help. 8 babies plus 6 other kids won't be easy!)
• The mother apparently has some sort of OCD that centers around having babies. (Haven't heard of that one.)
• This woman is a single mother who IS IN SCHOOL. Her friend said that she was having more babies because the WAS PAID TO DO SO. Um, that is so sick. No one should have babies for that reason--it's so unfair for those precious babies, who deserved to be loved as people and not material possessions or a means to an end.
• Who is this fertility doctor that he would allow this to happen? This article doesn't say (I don't think it's public knowledge) whether she was actually implanted with 8 embryos. Some experts are concerned about what that would do to someone, and what sort of issues those babies might have, even later in life. When the grandmother clarified that she was implanted with far fewer embryos, experts agreed that splitting could have happened after her body had been jacked up on fertility drugs for so long. SCARY!
• As one of the experts says, "After Pampers stops delivering the free diapers, then what?" Yeah, Ms. Obsessed-with-having-more-kiddos, then what?!?

I have more use for my money than to pay for the consequences of that woman's disorder. And those babies (and other children) need to go to someone else who can not only take care of them, but also love them for who they are and not the $$ or phenomena that they represent.

If you want to read the article for yourself, click Here.