God Works in the Ridiculous

Moses and Aaron and Pharaoh

 After that Moses and Aaron approached Pharaoh. They said, “God, the God of Israel, says, ‘Free my people so that they can hold a festival for me in the wilderness.'”

You remember the story of Moses and the plagues cast on Pharaoh and Egypt.  The adventure begins with a simple request of Moses to give his people a few days off to have a festival and worship their God.  They had been working hard and faithfully for the king.  They needed a break to replenish.  But to Moses, this may have seemed like a ridiculous request of God to tell him to go ask the King for a few days off for a party.

I get that same feeling of ridiculousness when God puts it on my heart to talk to a stranger about Jesus.   Maybe someday it won’t be that way, but it is today.  I appreciate my friend Jeffery’s desire for boldness this year.   Maybe a little of his boldness will spill over onto me.   God thank you for the desires you place on our heart.

Wit is a Good Thing?

Last night, I met with the EPIC life group for fun, fellowship, worship and prayer. Did I miss anything? We had a great time. During prayer, Janette thanked God for my wit. I was really blessed. Have you noticed how significant prayer is when you hear someone praying for you? She was going around the room including different people in EPIC in her prayers. I found myself anxiously waiting to hear how she would lift me to the Father in her prayers. Wit is a good thing. It’s nice to know all is not lost to my quirky sense of humor.

Like I told her afterwards, it’s better to have wit than to be witless. That’s suppose to be funny.

There has to be humor in….

He said this and then spit in the dust, made a clay paste with the saliva, rubbed the paste on the blind man’s eyes, and said, “Go, wash at the Pool of Siloam” (Siloam means “Sent”). The man went and washed—and saw.

John 9:5-7

Family, Friends and Blessings

I believe God is restoring to Cora and I all of what we have lost and is multiplying it many times over. It is not a dollar for dollar exchange. It is an exchange of what we thought was valuable for things that are of much more value. It seems God is putting us on a fast track in valuable relationship building. David and Jo have been super heroes of faithfulness and risk takers in our lives when it might not have been the safest thing to do.

Last year, I took an ugly house in the country and reinvented it into a beautiful large country home on acreage. It was the house of my dreams. I advised Jeff to invest in it. It seemed like a safe thing to do since as a worse case if it did not sell at a profit, I could move into it and cover his risk. At the time my real estate investment companies were going strong and I didn’t see the downside. But then there was the proverbial train wreck. The business collapsed.

We moved into the country house and attempted to make the house payments. We quickly lost all sources of income and could not cover the payment. We lived too far from town to get a real job. We needed to move into town to find work. This left Jeff with a house, big payment and no help from dad. I still feel rotten at how things have turned out. But, I believe God is not finished. He has a plan and will reveal it in His perfect timing. Thank you Jeff and April for believing and being faithful in the midst of a storm you didn’t create.

With the collapse of the real estate investment companies, we needed a place to live close to work and church, yet a safe place away from the storm. Tony and Julie heard of our need and graciously provided us with a beautiful house to live in rent free until we got on our feet. It was an incredible blessing. I am use to giving, but not so accustomed to receiving. God has done a wonderful thing in all our lives. This is a God thing that will not be forgotten.

Jeff and April graciously allowed us to move out of their ‘investment’ house while owing them rent and blessed us with encouragement. We still look to God to see how he works out the details of the future of us all and how the needs of Clover Court are met. I pray frequently for God’s grace on the situation.

“Job lived on another 140 years, living to see his children and grandchildren—four generations of them! Then he died—an old man, a full life”.

Job 42:17