I have decided...

I have decided to change the focus of my blog and start using it as a ministry tool as well. I am a Christian, a beloved child of God, and I'm not afraid to share this fact! I'm proud of it, I live for it and I cannot deny that the Lord has called me and my family to spread the Good News. So, each week I'm going to post something inspirational that I feel God wants me to share with my friends.

Lately, and I don't know about you, but in my life, it's been sheer CHAOS! Raising a big family is totally hard! It's not at all the Brady Bunch life I remember from TV viewing as a kid. I have no Marsha in our house and my Alice has gone home for the summer! Instead, we fight, we argue with the kids, we sometimes run and hide just to get some quiet time. But we also love, hug, encourage and rely on God our Almighty Father to keep us focused and grounded on what he has called us to be as a couple and as parents.

You often hear the old saying, "God won't give us more than we can handle. I just wish he didn't trust me so much." Sometimes I think this is a bunch of bull. But then I refer to my trusty guidebook for life, my Bible, and turn to Paul's first letter to the Corinthians, which says, "God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with your testing he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it" (1 Corinthians 10:13).

I strongly believe in this scripture and actually live by it daily. You see, when we moved three times in 16 months, it was out of selfishness and self-centeredness. We were not focusing ourselves on God and what his plan and purpose was for our lives. Instead, we focused on ourselves. In the midst of our pain, we had three houses, several mortgages and not enough income to cover it, we were extremely stressed out and could not see light at the end of the tunnel. I referred to it as being 'in the valley' and we prayed and prayed. I was very faithful in thinking God is in this and going to get us out (it was all I had to hold on to) while Dave was worried and full of anxiety. It was truly a test of faith for us both, but more so him than me. I knew that in God's timing it would turn around. And, it did. God provided the way out for us and we endured it in the meantime, it wasn't a long wait for us, but we did have to wait...and pray...and wait...and pray...and wait...and pray...our Bald Head home was the first to sell, and that was extrememly painful for us both, but we saw it as a gift from God in releasing us of that financial burden so we moved forward with the sale. Next was the Scot-Greene home, it was on the market for almost a year when we finally received an offer and a contract to sell. The home we were in was next. First, it was in a pretty swanky neighborhood in Enola, there were many other beautiful homes that were on the market that had been on the market when we initially bought out home, so the competition was fierce. We had an open house and within a week had a contract on the house. It was truly a miracle of God. We endured, it wasn't easy, but we handled it.

God is good my friends. He loves you and wants to have a relationship with you. It's never too late and it's never too early. God never goes golfing, he doesn't require a PIN#, he never takes a nap, he is available 24-hours a day, 7 days a week, to listen and love you. Try it, you will experiene a life changing event. I challenge you to let him give you more than you think you can handle and then allow him to show you how to make it through! You'll be surprised!