"Let us, your servants, see you work again; let our children see your glory. And may the Lord our God show us his approval and make our efforts successful. Yes make our efforts successful!" Psalm 90:16-17These last few weeks are beginning to become such a blur of change, renewal, hope, blessings, and an unbelievable gift of Grace that I need to write it all down before we forget anything:) (Footnote: this is crazy long but God has done a lot!! I didn't want to leave anything out)
Two years ago this month John and I stepped out of our comfort zone and stepped in to blind obedience. We had accumulated quite a bit of debt from school, medical, and down right stupid credit card spending. We had been struggling to work thru it on our own for some time but realized if we truly wanted to be free, we needed to take drastic steps. We decided it was time to commit a year of our lives to becoming financially free! It was a difficult decision, there was embarrassment, shame, guilt, feeling like we really messed up. Feeling judged and criticised for making poor choices and now having to ask for help to get out of it. But we prayed about it, humbled ourselves and moved in with John's parents January 2008. With John's income we planned on being debt free by the end of the year. God had other plans.
Two months into it God began to work on John's heart and by July 2008, John resigned from his full time position at our church with nothing lined up. He knew it was the right thing and he knew the Lord would care for us. His heart and passion was music and teaching and no longer youth. One month later the economy went down hill and it was almost impossible to snag an interview anywhere. With 6 months of unemployment we knew getting out of John's parent's house was not going to happen on our time clock.
John soon after received full time work with our dear friends at Chisum's Floor Covering. We praise God for them and we were just so thankful to have medical insurance again!!
Thru it all we somehow never missed a bill, we weren't able to pay anything down but we could still make minimum payments, PRAISE GOD!
By the summer of 2009 God began to tug on John's heart again about music and teaching. We knew if we ever wanted to move out we would need to find a part time job and with John's heart for music and ministry we began looking for churches. He decided if he was going to take anymore time away from his family, he wanted it to be something he loved, was passionate about and that we could all be a part of! He began throwing emails out to churches all over but felt led to email a local pastor up here in Ojai, for no other reason other than he had heard that this pastor was doing good things there and that God was doing a mighty work. He thought it couldn't hurt to see if they have any needs.
the pastor immediately responded back and basically said " he had begun praying for a music pastor not more then 7 days ago!!" They began meeting and talking and John fell in love.
There was a connection quickly. Their heart for ministry was the same, their idea of worship, their hope for this valley. You could say it was a match made in heaven.
Well, months went by where God used us thru some difficult trials we most certainly were not expecting but for some reason he chose us. Soon after, John's parents also felt that God was calling them back to Mississippi and that they would be leaving Ojai very soon!
The unknown of having no income, not quite debt free and then needing to move out was all too overwhelming! Thru it all John was confident God was going to move, I was not so sure! John reconnected with Pastor Chad who basically was waiting for John's call for the last couple of months. They met, John led worship, we met the deacons, the church voted a worship pastor into the budget and it was all said and done, all in about a month. The quickest we've seen God move in a while!!
Knowing we'd have extra money to begin to look for a place was exciting, but our budget was not so. We prayed about our spirit's desires to minister to our neighbors, live simply, practically, close to where our church is planted and is ministering, with no financial strain, to spend less and give more! But my heart's desires were a little bit different. Two years of dreaming of this new home weighed heavy on my mind. Finding a place where the boys could play in a yard, having storage, some place bright with unique features like 1920's crown moldings or a bay window! Something one of a kind!
Well as we prayed and began searching we found lots of places but nothing that seemed to fit our family or our budget. We applied for a place we had not seen yet but that would be available in January.
We were approved and we were able to go in and take a look. Did I walk in and fall in love.....no. Did I get excited looking around ....no. Did I have a peace one way or another walking away....no. The house at a glance is "BLAH" nothing special, nothing unique, no AC, no utilities covered, weeds in both front and backyards!
My heart was torn walking away. I wanted a definitive answer, peace, excited one way or another. I didn't have it.
But after much prayer all afternoon and a date night with John where we discussed pros and cons, heart and spirit...we decided we would make it the right place.
We would bring beauty to an otherwise average duplex. I pulled out my decorating mags, searched the internet and within a couple of hours ....I was excited!! I cannot wait to get in there and make that "blah" place into a "TADA"!
Friday we put the deposit down but my prayer has still continued "Lord, we have been faithful, we tried so hard to get out of debt for TWO YEARS God. I know we werent perfect but we've tried and we are about to walk into this new place without fulfilling our goal? why?"
Let's just say that night God answered! God willing by the end of this month we will officially be debt free, in our new home, and making the same amount of income we started with January 2008! Our God is faithful, Our God is Good, Our God is Holy, Our God...HE IS GOOD!
"Let us, your servants, see you work again; let our children see your glory. And may the Lord our God show us his approval and make our efforts successful. Yes make our efforts successful!" Psalm 90:16-17
