Livin' on Love

Welp... If it's not one thing, it's another, right?  The family that was supposed to buy our house in Rogers.... they have been renting to own for the last 12 months.... lied to us.  They have been continually lying to us for all of these months and refuse to answer our calls/texts. 

We made the decision to kick them out last week and haven't looked back.  They should be out on the 31st and we will be there (with the police) to make sure that happens.  Then the cleaning up non stop for a couple days will comense and we will get our cute little house back to "selling shape." 

Surprisingly, Nate and I are at complete peace with this decision.  Even though paying two mortgages is as close to impossible as we can get, we are optimistic about the upcoming months.  We will totally be living on love... and Ramen noodles :)

This house brought us soooo much joy and will always be a happy memory for us, so it makes me really sad to think about it being such a head ache now.  But, God will provide and we will make it just fine.  We have some plans about how we are gonna make it.... I will work at a daycare after my job at church, we are canceling our cable and internet next week (after Project Runway is over), maybe set some tombstones for my dad on the weekends, sell some crafts, and if it comes down to it.... refinance or sell our vehicles.

It should be an adventure for the next few months.  Hopefully the house will sell super fast and we will have another story about how God provided just when we needed Him.  Like I explained in my last post, I can be brave... even in this situation... which has been a fear of mine for a year now. 

Fill in the blank with your fears....

IF ________________, then God!

No matter what happens.... No matter how you fill in the blank, God will get you through.



What has God been showing you lately?

For the last six weeks I have been going through Beth Moore's Esther Bible Study with about 25 ladies from church.  I have learned a lot in these weeks, and enjoyed every minute. It has been challenging, but great at the same time. I have come face to face with my insecurities…. and at the same time feel God’s comforting peace. A couple of my favorite things have been in the last two weeks.

Many of you know that I have lost two dear friends very suddenly. Back in June of 2008 when Courtney died, I can pin point the night that I let fear take over. Since then the enemy has been using this against me. I have been fearful of everything…. Sure there were times when I let my faith lead me through the valleys, but really… I was a scared little girl inside. In session four, Beth Moore said some things that really opened my eyes to this bondage. She encouraged us to be brave and courageous, saying we are only one decision away from the most important step. We don’t deny our fears, we just deny it’s power over us. She continued the idea of having freedom from fear, teaching us about conditional faith…. It’s not enough to believe that what we fear the most will never happen.

I needed to hear this lesson in the worst way. I have been praying constantly that God would increase my faith and decrease my fears. I want to make decisions out of wisdom, not fear. God offers us His very presence… so I can be convinced that I am brave and courageous. Courage is not the absence of fear… It’s knowing that there is something so much better! Take that! Take courage! Do not give in to vain imagination.

The second thing that I just loved and have been thinking about every minute since she said it on Monday is the concept of waiting on the Lord. I have heard this sooo many times… It was even read at my wedding… but it never clicked like this before. Session five was about the importance of knowing when it’s time. We all get impatient and things in our society just keep pushing immediate gratification, BUT if we cannot wait on the Lord, we will not fulfill our destinies.

Too many time we are waiting on the thing. Right now I am personally waiting on several huge things in my life. Our strength will just continue to expire if we continue to wait to the thing…. We wait on the Lord. The longer we wait on the Lord, the more our strength is renewed. Exalt God to the position to fight for you, humble yourself, and live a life full of passion and patience.

What has God shown you lately?  Please comment and let me know!
I have also shared this story at our women's ministry blog.

Pulled Pork

So…Nate loves pulled pork.  Since I don’t have time to cook during the week days, I have been trying out several new crock pot recipes that I found on pinterest.  I am obsessed with that by the way…best thing since sliced bread.

This was my first attempt ever to make something with pork and I can’t believe how easy and great it turned out.  The pork was a little on the expensive side for two people, but we will probably eat it for like 50 meals (that makes $14 go a long way).  I will definitely keep this in mind for when I have a crowd of people over.

(don’t judge on the paper plate, ok?  I don’t spend my 45 minutes at home doing dishes)

Pulled Pork

4 lbs of pork roast

2 white or yellow onions (I buy the already chopped kind and just dump them in there)

2 cups of apple cider vinegar

2 cups of apple juice

2 tsp of liquid smoke

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

2 tsp brown sugar

1/2 bottle of regular/classic BBQ sauce (about 9 oz)

Put it all in a crock pot on high for 4 hours or low for 7-8 hours.  Stir to shred the meat and enjoy.  If you choose you can drain… add crushed red pepper flakes for a hotter taste… or more brown sugar for a sweeter taste.

Bon appetite… Or since this is kind of a southern recipe, I guess I should say… Come get it y’all.

Happy Birthday Pops!

Lately, I have been so franticly busy every day and every evening.  Something about being at the church for so long, or not being home at all, just does something to your psyche.  So, Nate and I took a…much needed… night off from outreach and went to my cousin’s house for my Papa’s birthday.  It was great to get away from the church building for one night and see my family. 

  

My Nana and Papa are some of the greatest people you will ever meet.  I need to get my priorities straight and see them more often.  It is hard to find time in the day to take a shower, but family has got to come first!  I guess we still aren’t used to living closer….

Just wanted to remember this night and share some pics. 

Brendan is getting big!  Love. My. Nephews.

 

Crystal and Kim… Annoyed Loving that the camera was out.

Tommy, Me, and Brendan

Landry and cousin Emrie.

Family.

 

Lord, Increase my faith and decrease my fears.

Last weekend, Nate and I took the youth on a little service project to THE REFUGE in downtown OKC.  It was one of the most eye opening service days we have ever had.  It is always nice to pull a few weeds and work up a sweat for a good cause, but this place was just awesome.  And by awesome, I mean… I left there knowing how little faith I have.

The Refuge is an old apartment building in the middle of downtown Oklahoma City.  This building used to be THE place for drug deals and prostitution.  In the ally behind the building something like 3,000 drug deals an hour went down.  In the rooms prostitutes were turning tricks with the pimp and drug lord a few doors away.  Basically, the worst things you could imagine were going on there every minute of every day.

With nothing but a strong feeling of urgency from the Lord, a man named Tim and his wife and two small children left California to come to good ol Oklahoma.  They had a vision and a heart to see the metro area come back to Jesus.  They sold everything they owned and some how bought this apartment building.  Tim went day after day and prayed over the people.  He had some “gnarly” stories about things that happened.  He says that in that one week, he experienced more Jesus than in his whole life at church.  The only answer he could give for why he wasn’t killed, or why giant drug dealers would come to him crying, was that “Jesus is taking this place back.”

After Tim fully acquired the building police went in and cleared everyone out…. Tim’s family moved in.  They literally live where a satan-worshipping prostitute used to do her thing every day.  Since then, about 50 more Christians have moved into The Refuge.  They live together in genuine community and work together like the New Testament church.  Their mission is to clean up the streets one inch at a time and just love God and love people. 

Tim said that God has showed him how to love people and that is all he is doing.  Selflessly loving people everyday in the midst of inner city warfare.

The Refuge has amazing stories about praying for things and the next day receiving those things… like windows, or a fridge, or a house.  They recently prayed about a property they wanted to buy two doors down from the drug lord, and got a call from a gentleman in Florida that handed them the keys.  Since moving into The Refuge and cleaning up the streets surrounding, all the drugs and prostitution have moved several blocks south…. so The Refuge will be moving that way too.  Tim and his family (now three little children) and one other family will soon be moving into the newly acquired house.  Did I mention that was two doors away from the drug lord…. the guy that kills people without blinking an eye.

I left there in awe of the wives of these men.  They are raising their kids in the worst part of OKC possible, and letting their husbands risk their lives to “love people.”  Were they not scared to sell everything they owned?  Were they not scared to let their husband talk to drug dealers?  Are they not scared someone is going to get murdered? 

How much faith does it take to live like this?  How do they let their fears fly out the window?  They are there, in the trenches… every day.  Since my visit there, I have been praying for God to increase my faith and decrease my fears.  I am naturally a scared person… like I jump across the room when I see a fly.  I can’t imagine being so fearless.  I can’t imagine having sooo much faith.

The Bible says, “faith the size of a mustard seed can move a mountains.”  I would say that the community at The Refuge is a lot closer to that mustard seed than anyone else I know.

Lord, increase my faith and decrease my fears.

Pointless Post

Today I am so out of it.  I am oober grateful to have the job I have at the church, but some days I just lack any kind of motivation.  I have plenty to do, but can’t bring myself to WAKE UP!  Plus I haven’t really been feeling the greatest with all these Oklahoma allergies.  Anyway, I have a few blogs to update, so I decided to get going….

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Nothing of great importance has been happening lately…. Just living at the church from 8 to 8.  Today we decided that we feel like we own a business.  In a lot of ways I think a church should be run like a business…but that’s a whole different blog. ha

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I did get in a few crafts and made this sign for some of our friends.  Hollie is die hard OU and Zack is die hard OSU, so this was my funny version of “a house divided.”

In other news, we keep trying to eat healthy.  Being at home for like 45 minutes a day isn’t much time to cook a great meal…. plus I just want to sit down on the couch with the remote clean up the house.  So, my crock pot is becoming my really good friend.

Look at me cutting up veggies…. and eating them…. and liking it.