Wednesday wrap up

OK- so it isn't the end of a Wednesday yet, but I wanted to make note of a few things before I forget.

Some friends of mine and I will be meeting Sunday night to discuss The Shack! I'm very excited about this. And since I've posted about the book, friends have sent me links to commentary about the book that I have found quite interesting. Like this one Brad W. sent me this morning. I'm bummed that Brad G. will be out of town Sunday and won't be able to participate in the live discussion, but he promised to call in while he's driving and we'll put him on speaker phone. More on this Monday morning----

We have been in talks with another mortgage company to see what our options are. At this point it looks like we can borrow money, but not as much as we had first thought. This is okay- in fact, it's good. God is protecting us from getting in over our heads. We looked online at houses in that price range and there are some great options!

My friend Andi's mom is not doing so great. They can't seem to stabilize her- and they are moving her to Houston today to get her on a transplant list. This is good cuz Andi gets to come home, but also speaks to the extent of her mom's illness. Please continue to pray.

I wonder...

We went to Gateway Community Church yesterday and they had a special service highlighting the results of their Vacation Bible School the week before. It was flashy, and high energy, and fun, and we enjoyed every second of it. Today, I took Jonas and Carleigh to the VBS at First Baptist Friendswood. I walked them in to the auditorium for the "opening ceremonies" and found it decked out in bright colors and big balloons, and lots of people.

I remember fondly the days I attended VBS as a kid. I specifically remember saying the pledge to the American flag and to the Christian flag in the auditorium each morning. But I don't remember any fanfare or pomp. It was fun, but not over the top.

I wonder if my kids would be bored to tears by such a VBS. Or if the Word of God presented at their level for 5 consecutive days (alongside lemonade and animal crackers, of course) is impactful regardless of the hoop-la. But that's the miracle of the message, of the Gospel- the kids went to another VBS two weeks ago at a different church here in Friendswood. Much smaller, much more intimate, and no crazy banners or balloons to be found! AND the kids learned memory verses from the King James Bible (it made me chuckle to hear)! This morning, as I pulled up to FBC, Jonas said " I hope this one is as awesome as the last one we went to!"

So there you go...

TGIF!

And I woke up, in America, with two beautiful healthy children in the room next to mine, with a husband I love who is gainfully employed, with a choice of food in the kitchen, with a job to get to, with parents who adore and support me, with in-laws who do the same, with two cars in front of our apartment, and the ability to read, write, see, hear, touch, smell, and taste all the goodness (and yuckiness) in my life. Thanks to each of you who endured my pity-party a few days ago. Nothing in that area has changed since then, except my attitude.

Please take a second to remember my friend Andi and more specifically, her mom. She is going through liver failure and is not doing well. Heartbreaking to us all is that she is not a Christian. Andi's had a roller coaster summer so far, and it doesn't look like it is settling down any time soon.

Melancholy

Seems the lending rules have changed since we last financed a home. Craig has a student loan in deferrment- but guess what? It still counts toward our debt to income ratio. We both have very good credit scores, but no one will look at us without at least 5% down. We don't have that. The massive business loan Craig took out at the start of the last crazy 3 years is being repaid on a 5 year note- that means we make the equivilant of a house payment each month already. In the long run this is good, as we won't have a bunch of accrued interest. But right now, when we want to get in to a house, this sucks. I feel like a tire whose air is slowly fizzing out. I'm not boo-hoo sad, but I could slip in to that state pretty quickly. I dread the idea of living in an apartment again, and at the same time I know any roof is better than what is endured by millions of people in the world. I want to be with my community, and there isn't a rental in that area that we could afford. Maybe God is saying we need a new community. I don't want to assume I know where this will all lead, but right this minute, I am crestfallen, blue, having a small pity-party, etc.

And then, to add insult to injury, Craig's boss has implemented a new rule. Since Craig is straight commision, he now has to pay back a percentage of his paycheck anytime the office has to write a refund to a patient who decided to discontinue care. This is supposed to make Craig feel more invested in the clinic and the results it has. But dammit- I want him to just have a job with a PAYCHECK some times!!!!

Why am I surprised?

We called our realtor this morning to make an offer on the house on Green Cedar. She called back five minutes later and said they had accepted another offer last night. We had prayed that God would close the doors we weren't supposed to go through, so why on earth was I surprised to hear this? He's so awesome. I was sad/dissappointed for about 5 minutes, but then quickly reminded that this was what I asked God to do! Can't wait to see what He has in store!

Another fun moment- I have a Facebook page, and I don't spend much time on it. But I received a notice yesterday saying someone wanted to add me as a friend. I immediately knew the name and was thrilled to get the notice! Brad Wheeler was a pivotal part of my teenage years. I met him when he was the youth pastor of a church in San Antonio and had some down to South Padre with a group. He and I were quickly friends and maintained a great long-distance friendship. I still have some of the awesome letters he wrote to me. He was a strong Christian and actively growing in Christ, and that influenced me in wonderful ways. I remember the day he called me to tell he had met the woman he would marry, Robin. He had it right on, and is married to her now with a daughter! I wish I had been able to maintain the friendship, but life happens- he concentrated on getting his marriage started and ministry growing, and I was off at Boot Camp and then on to college. Now, fast forward 16 or so years, and he is thinking about church planting while he is a youth minister in San Antonio. I'm a year in to a church plant, and thrilled to have another friend and mentor in Christ! Wow- the cheesy but true line from Michael W. Smith just popped in my head "Friends are friends forever, when the Lord's the Lord of them."

Thanks God, for the people you put in my life. You are amazing!

A change in plans

I feel like I'm calling off a wedding. In a way, I am. Craig and I have decided to not commit to the house we were building. It's hard to do, as we have had countless people pray about this house and gush over it and ooh and ahhh over pictures. But when it comes down to it, it is not enough house at too much price tag. We went out yesterday with a realtor and looked at houses the same price as "ours" with 600 more square feet and a much bigger yard (one even had a hot tub that was staying with the house!). But I think we are going to put an offer on a house tomorrow in a subdivision a little further north. It is in the same neighborhood as Brad (our community pastor), has 250 more square feet, a fourth bedroom and a dedicated study, a great front and BACK yard! It is not on a cul de sac, but that is just about the only negative. I think we need to be better stewards of our money, and this house will let us do that.

I'm so grateful for the gentle way God showed us we were making a mistake, instead of letting us figure it out the hard way. He's so gracious, isn't He? Beyond words...

Jonas swims

Jonas joined the YMCA swim team on Wednesday. Today was his first swim meet, and he raced the 25 freestyle. He did an awesome job, and came in either 2nd or 3rd. We left as soon as his race was done, as they don't hand out ribbons for these meets. We'll find out his time at the next practice, and then his goal will be to beat that time. He's such a good competitor- I'm very proud of him! He's always been great in the water, so I think this sport might be a great fit for him.

Wonderful time away!

Our trip to the beach to celebrate our 10th anniversary was wonderful! Here are some pics to mark the occasion...

Me at Wahoo's- my favorite place.
And this is our view from our condo.


Craig and me on the beach- awwww. And the entire result of 10 years together!

The Shack

A book I recommend to any and every one who comes across my blog. The Shack grabbed my attention from page 1 because of the writing style- but held me in its grip beginning with the chapter titled "A Piece of Pi" (the author uses the mathematical symbol for pi, but I can't find it in my font options, so...3.14....). I want everyone I know, and people I don't know, to read this, so we can talk about it!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Please comment as soon as you are done, or as soon as you have questions or comments.... My mom has read it and Craig is in the middle of it, and I want more input!