Click here to read yesterday's brain dump.
Click here to read Cetelia's brain dumps.
Note: Although I'm trying to catch as many errors as I can, please overlook any typos, grammatical mistakes, missing words, and mispellings you find in this post (yeah, I misspelled "misspellings" on purpose to give you some practice at overlooking any other mistakes you see).
a. Seriously, PJ? smh
b. I'm hopeful today's post will show some maturity on my part. We went house-hunting today, and like it has happened multiple times before, the house we saw available the night before was gone the next day. We had a new experience today: a house that was available at 2 PM was gone at 3:30. We learned this as we tried to get into the house using the electronic keybox.
c. I have to admit that I was discouraged for a moment. I felt myself going back into the place of, "I'm tired of looking ... this keep happening." BUT, I did something today that I had not been doing: I began rehearsing all the amazing things God has done for us - including us being at the home of perfect strangers ... alone ... while they're 25 hours away. If that's not enough to change my outlook, then I don't know what it is.
d. For real, PJ? smh
e. I mentioned yesterday that the story of Elijah and the widow woman in seemed to be where we are right now. In this story, Elijah is sent to a widow who's planning to make a final meal for she and her son so they can die (there was a famine in the land). While the story is interesting (read it here), I've not been able to get past verse 8: "Go at once to Zarephath in the region of Sidon and stay there. I have directed a widow there to supply you with food."
f. Zarephath means refinement, proving, measuring, testing. I feel like ever since we've gotten to Texas, we've been tested. I've acknowledged that I failed the test for at least three of the weeks we've been here. Now that I realize I'm being tested, I'm able to handle the perceived setbacks with more resolve. Why? Because I recognize God is doing something good for my family and me.
1. He's working in our hearts, which is good. He's trying to make us look like Jesus, which is good.
2. He's helping Cetelia and me learn to work through conflict created by external circumstances, and that's good.
3. He's helping all five of us - especially the kids - learn through experience how to be faithful stewards, and that's good.
4. He's teaching us how to walk by what we believe, not by what we can see, and that's good.
5. He's showing us that our sufficiency is not enough to get us through life, and that's good.
6. He's helping us learn how to receive his love & provisions from the hands of others - even if it's humiliating, and that's good.
7. He's breaking our pride of having it altogether and not needing anyone's assistance, and that's good.
8. He's drawing us closer together as a family, and teaching me how to be a family shepherd that depends on God - not his ability to make money, and that's good.
9. He's showing us the value of patience, and how he's always working, even when he's silent, and that's good.
10. He's revealing that he really is in charge of our destiny - not us, and that's good.
g. There's so much more he's showing us, but this is enough for tonight.
h. God is becoming more real to me because I'm realizing that I don't have what it takes to make things happen on my own. I can push, prod, poke, promote, pressure, and any other "P" word you can think of, but without him - and all he brings to the party - I'm unable to take effective action ... I'm helpless ...powerless.
i. I need him. Period. He can get along without me, but wants to partner with me. He's showing me me that power belongs to him - not me.
