Well, the big event finally happened today. We broke ground on the restaurant that my husband and I have been working on for over two years. It seemed so surreal that it would finally be happening. My husband was super excited about the event, while I felt somewhat overwhelmed, wondering, in this economy, if we were a little daft.
Because we both have felt confident that the Lord has called us into this project, we continue to move forward, trusting that if He leads us somewhere, He will provide for that place. Our expected build time is ten months.
I thank God for all of the battles He has fought for us over this project and that He showed Himself faithful and trustworthy. We have learned so much about Him and His ways and ourselves (not always good) and know that the adventure will continue. I know the days ahead will be challenging and there will be more battles to be fought, but we know whom we can trust.
Thanks to everyone who has fought along side of us for this project. He has heard and answered!!
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Love, hope and faith
This morning as I was walking and praying for our nation, and our economy and the elections, I felt the Lord break in on me and remind me of something really important. He quoted 1 Corinthians 13: "Faith, hope and love". I realized that in the midst of the battle of the season that we are in, and because of our passion for God's Kingdom to come, it is very easy to end up being angry with the people who oppose our ideas and opinions concerning the elections. We get so caught up in what we think is right, that we end up having hard hearts and losing all perspective of what the Kingdom is about. We will not convey love and Godly wisdom to those we speak to if we are hard hearted and hateful.
So He reminded me that in this season of seeming hopelessness, He wants to give us faith and hope and over it all, love. Ephesians 6 says that we fight not against flesh and blood, but against the powers and principalities of this present darkness. The people who disagree with us are not the enemy, darkness is the enemy. My pastor this morning told us to not be discouraged with the prevailing darkness, because light shines brighter in darkness and people will be drawn to the light.
Yes, keep fighting in fervent prayer!! We are called to be stewards and warriors in the affairs of the earth, but let's not be distracted from the foundation of the Kingdom of God. Let's ask God for a baptism of faith, hope and love. I believe that is the Lord's heart.
So He reminded me that in this season of seeming hopelessness, He wants to give us faith and hope and over it all, love. Ephesians 6 says that we fight not against flesh and blood, but against the powers and principalities of this present darkness. The people who disagree with us are not the enemy, darkness is the enemy. My pastor this morning told us to not be discouraged with the prevailing darkness, because light shines brighter in darkness and people will be drawn to the light.
Yes, keep fighting in fervent prayer!! We are called to be stewards and warriors in the affairs of the earth, but let's not be distracted from the foundation of the Kingdom of God. Let's ask God for a baptism of faith, hope and love. I believe that is the Lord's heart.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Don't Forget Thanksgiving - Like Me!
This morning in church someone spoke about being thankful to God. Now, we all know how important that is. We all know that God loves to hear us thank Him for what He's done for us, but I think sometimes we take it for granted and forget to actually do it! To the stresses of our normal lives, add the current economic and political stresses and wow, we sure do have an overwhelming amount of concerns to face.
Sure, we're faithful to pray about those concerns and we work hard to overcome so much. But how much time do we spend thanking God for everything He's given us. Have we thanked Him lately for the freedom we enjoy in this country? How about our friends and families, for the food we have in our fridges, for the clean air we breathe, our faithful vehicles and the beauty of the earth? For flowers, for birds and butterflies. How about microwaves and washers and dryers, they're pretty wonderful too. When you think about it, there are so, so many things to be thankful for.
Even if you can't think of absolutely anything to be thankful for in your life, you can thank Him for Who He is, for His faithfulness, His beauty, His sacrifice, His love, His power!
In the midst of these challenging times, it's easy to get focused on hard things, but if we could just take our eyes off the challenges and onto the Lord of the challenges, it would be a huge step towards stress relief. God hasn't fallen off the throne. He still is the sovereign Lord of the universe and "holds the whole world in His hands"! Sure, He invites us to be involved through prayer and intercession for our world, but He still rules and reigns. Let's give Him a little credit and thank Him for our lives. I'm certainly going to try to remember to begin my prayer time with more thanksgiving.
Hey, do me a favor: Please write and remind me about this in about a week!
Sure, we're faithful to pray about those concerns and we work hard to overcome so much. But how much time do we spend thanking God for everything He's given us. Have we thanked Him lately for the freedom we enjoy in this country? How about our friends and families, for the food we have in our fridges, for the clean air we breathe, our faithful vehicles and the beauty of the earth? For flowers, for birds and butterflies. How about microwaves and washers and dryers, they're pretty wonderful too. When you think about it, there are so, so many things to be thankful for.
Even if you can't think of absolutely anything to be thankful for in your life, you can thank Him for Who He is, for His faithfulness, His beauty, His sacrifice, His love, His power!
In the midst of these challenging times, it's easy to get focused on hard things, but if we could just take our eyes off the challenges and onto the Lord of the challenges, it would be a huge step towards stress relief. God hasn't fallen off the throne. He still is the sovereign Lord of the universe and "holds the whole world in His hands"! Sure, He invites us to be involved through prayer and intercession for our world, but He still rules and reigns. Let's give Him a little credit and thank Him for our lives. I'm certainly going to try to remember to begin my prayer time with more thanksgiving.
Hey, do me a favor: Please write and remind me about this in about a week!
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Going Where No Man Has Gone Before
Lately I've felt like I've been able to relate to Abraham in the Old Testament. Abraham was called by God to leave the place he called home and begin moving out to some unknown place. He packed up his household and began the journey, trusting that God had a good plan for him.
As we continue in the adventure of building a restaurant, we are adding another operation to our already overwhelming lives and expanding our territory. There are many things we are now facing that are unknown to us. We don't really know where we are going, as we've never been this way before. Okay, so it doesn't seem like the current times can be compared to Abraham's times. We now have AAA or On-star or directions to anywhere at the touch of our keyboards. And I know that Abraham didn't have the world wide web to support his every need and give security for everything he faced, but our lives are not that much different from Abraham's. There really still is no security apart from our walk of obedience in the Lord's will.
Psalm 91 has really ministered to me in the midst of such uncertain times. Verses 1 - 6 tells us of the safety and rest and security we have when we place our hope and trust in God. As we face such uncertain times, it's easy to harden ourselves and withdraw into our own thoughts, fears and negative thoughts. Our weaknesses and fears in these times really highlight where we place our trust and hope.
Let me quote those verses for you: He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust. Surely He will save you from the fowler's snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you will find refuge; His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday.
I'm thankful that Abraham boldly went where no man has gone before, obedient and hopeful. I pray we can be as confident and trusting as we walk in obedience to His call on our lives.
As we continue in the adventure of building a restaurant, we are adding another operation to our already overwhelming lives and expanding our territory. There are many things we are now facing that are unknown to us. We don't really know where we are going, as we've never been this way before. Okay, so it doesn't seem like the current times can be compared to Abraham's times. We now have AAA or On-star or directions to anywhere at the touch of our keyboards. And I know that Abraham didn't have the world wide web to support his every need and give security for everything he faced, but our lives are not that much different from Abraham's. There really still is no security apart from our walk of obedience in the Lord's will.
Psalm 91 has really ministered to me in the midst of such uncertain times. Verses 1 - 6 tells us of the safety and rest and security we have when we place our hope and trust in God. As we face such uncertain times, it's easy to harden ourselves and withdraw into our own thoughts, fears and negative thoughts. Our weaknesses and fears in these times really highlight where we place our trust and hope.
Let me quote those verses for you: He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust. Surely He will save you from the fowler's snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you will find refuge; His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday.
I'm thankful that Abraham boldly went where no man has gone before, obedient and hopeful. I pray we can be as confident and trusting as we walk in obedience to His call on our lives.
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