WAITING - #write31days 10-04-16

This free-writing and publishing what I’ve written when out of the country has been a bit of a challenge. AND, we are ONLY on Day 4. I’ve been blessed in a way by a “curse” that we experienced within the first few hours of our trip. Some of you know that we are a family in transition. We are beginning a journey serving in an Appalachian community in eastern Kentucky (where we reside 4-5 days a week in a small 4th floor apartment) while still having deep, deep roots in the land of stuckinindiana. Most of our ties to Indiana are strong chords of love for that area & the people there. One of our ties is more like a millstone around our necks. We shall herein refer to that as “the rental.”

God blessed us with a home in the middle of crop fields and cow pastures about 5 years ago. The home was more conveniently located to the LOML’s workplace in downtown Indy. The open spaces at the new place afforded to us just what I needed for my anxiety & depression and battle with the winter blues. God even sat us right beside a farm occupied with a sweet lady who loves to walk daily. (I need that for my health – physical, mental & spiritual.)

One part of our journey in the past 5 years has been that we never seemed to be able to sell the former home located about 25 minutes away from our new home. After a rather long time on the market with little to no bites of interest, the for-sale home turned into “the rental.” The LOML has been a champion at handling almost every issue we’ve had there. As many of you homeowners know, a second property that you’re wanting to unload always seems to need major repairs or major replacements before the property is off your books and on the books of another poor soul.

So… we are still praying for and waiting for that property to sell. On our first day to head out for a break, the copper plumbing pipes in “the rental” crawl space decided to develop a pin hole leak and flood the entire crawl space. So, when the LOML got that message just before we were to sail away to 8 days of no internet (aka peace, rest, relaxation especially for him), he made the decision to purchase an internet package to be able to manage that situation. We had planned to not do that… to just turn off our cellphones and sail away from our lives for a few days before we head into another stormy gale of business commitments and property management issues back at home the remainder of the month.

And so, we wait…

• To hear back from the plumbers working on the repair at “the rental”
• To hear back about work/business issues (now that the LOML is reachable)
• For God to send a buyer for one of our 3 residences – “the rental”
• To figure out when we will look for a permanent residence in Kentucky and list our beloved country home in Indiana for sale
• To figure out what our daughter and the Little will do when we decide to make the move a permanent thing

And, I wait…

• To get a small piece of the internet package to publish my daily posts and to sneak a message or two to friends & family who aren’t along with us for this journey. 

All this waiting reminded me of a quote shared with me by a friend:

"Patience is not just the ability to wait;

it is how we act while we're waiting." 

~ Joyce Meyer 

My friend paired up the above quote with a scripture. Here are a few Believer Bonuses aka scriptures about patience:

• Put on behavior marked by.... patience, which is tireless and long-suffering, and has the power to endure, whatever comes. Colossians 3:12 (Amplified)
• "Imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised." Hebrews 6:12b
• "Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised." Hebrews 10:36 NLT 
• "When life is heavy and hard to take, go off by yourself. Enter the silence. Bow in prayer. Wait for hope to appear. Don't run from trouble. Take it full-face." Lamentations 3:28-29

We all have to WAIT. Often the challenge is not to lose our minds, tempers, tongues, beliefs, etc. while we WAIT.

5 Minute Free-For-All 10-4-16 Waiting

sunrise thoughts 02 October 2015

I was so proud of myself... all dressed and ready for my morning walkabout & not even too close to the time of sunrise... 7:39am. I'd woken up much earlier feeling as though I'd not gotten rested at all. And, I'd woken with the knowledge that the coming few days were going to be fast & furious with activities. 

And, what did I find as I walked out?? There WAS no sunrise!

What Lies Hidden in Darkness

There have been a lot of times in my life where I've walked in darkness. I've been responsible for some of those times due to my choices. I've walked in the darkness other times due to another's choices. 

In the times when I could see nothing... God saw it all. When I didn't acknowledge His presence or power... He still saw it all. When I was walking with Him, yet experiencing seasons of darkness, I may have been at a loss for understanding but was comforted in the knowledge that He was there... working for my good. 

I will...

“Praise the name of God forever and ever, for he has all wisdom and power. He reveals deep and mysterious things and knows what lies hidden in darkness, though he is surrounded by light. Daniel 2:20,22 NLT

When I trust in Him, He revels deep and mysterious things to me... in His perfect timing. 

Linking with Ann Voskamp - A Holy Experience today... 

(Note to my three followers - okay a few more than three: If you get a post in your inbox that's not quite formatted I probably wrote it in the wee hours of the night on my phone. Thanks for bearing with me friends!)

Feeling Useless But Being Used

The following scenario happens so often in my life. How about you?

I have a daily routine to which I'm faithful. It's something that happens pretty consistently regardless of the up's and down's in my life. And, one day I realize I've neglected that routine for several days in a row. Then, just when I get back on track, God sends me something I really need that very moment!

This morning, after receiving several ignored pop-up reminders on my phone in the past few days, I decided to actually DO my YouVersion daily devotional (30 Days - My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers). 

And, God spoke to me in a wonderful way. 


Obedience To The "Heavenly Vision"

If we lose “the heavenly vision” God has given us, we alone are responsible—not God. We lose the vision because of our own lack of spiritual growth. If we do not apply our beliefs about God to the issues of everyday life, the vision God has given us will never be fulfilled. The only way to be obedient to “the heavenly vision” is to give our utmost for His highest—our best for His glory. This can be accomplished only when we make a determination to continually remember God’s vision. But the acid test is obedience to the vision in the details of our everyday life—sixty seconds out of every minute, and sixty minutes out of every hour, not just during times of personal prayer or public meetings.

“Though it tarries, wait for it . . .” (Habakkuk 2:3). We cannot bring the vision to fulfillment through our own efforts, but must live under its inspiration until it fulfills itself. We try to be so practical that we forget the vision. At the very beginning we saw the vision but did not wait for it. We rushed off to do our practical work, and once the vision was fulfilled we could no longer even see it. Waiting for a vision that “tarries” is the true test of our faithfulness to God. It is at the risk of our own soul’s welfare that we get caught up in practical busy-work, only to miss the fulfillment of the vision. Watch for the storms of God. The only way God plants His saints is through the whirlwind of His storms. Will you be proven to be an empty pod with no seed inside? That will depend on whether or not you are actually living in the light of the vision you have seen. Let God send you out through His storm, and don’t go until He does. If you select your own spot to be planted, you will prove yourself to be an unproductive, empty pod. However, if you allow God to plant you, you will “bear much fruit” (John 15:8).

It is essential that we live and “walk in the light” of God’s vision for us (1 John 1:7). In all matters, O Lord, I would acknowledge You. Keep me in tune with You so that others may catch the joyousness and gladness of God.

Today's reading reminded me (in a head-plant in the palm sort of way)...

• that I need to patiently wait on the Lord... 
• that I don't need to rush out to do everything that I know to be good... 
• that God will use me where He needs me & when He needs me...

IN HIS TIMING IF & WHEN I ALLOW HIM!

I am so thankful that God loves us in our imperfections and that countless blessings are strewn about us... for our discovery! 

"Whatever is good and perfect comes down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow." James 1:17 NLT

PS If you have a smart phone or a tablet, check out YouVersion applications.

YouVersion... A free Bible on your phone, tablet, and computer.

YouVersion is a simple, ad-free Bible that brings God's Word into your daily life.

It's the Bible at your fingertips. There are over 2,000 devotions available. It's a WIN WIN!

Linking with Ann Voskamp - A Holy Experience today...

HOPE, House For Sale! 10-18-13

There's something different about having HOPE and HOPING for something to happen. 

I'm writing this post on October 18, 2013. On March 18, 2010, we closed on our current home. The past 41 months, I've been HOPING (and praying every night while holding the hand of the LOML!) that our other house would sell! I wasn't so sure about moving out here... in the sticks... close to 30 minutes from anywhere. However, the past 41 months, has assured me that this was the RIGHT MOVE. I've also heard a "whisper in my heart" that God is working in His own time!! Although, it doesn't usually feel like it's quite fast enough!

"Durbin Manor"

"Durbin County Cottage"

I've wanted "Durbin Manor" to SELL SOON. But, it hasn't. It hasn't sold in 41 months... and counting as you read this. But, I still HOPE...  believing that God has some totally cool plan with regard to when it will sell & to whom it will sell.

Having two mortgages for 41 months has been... rough. Having two properties to maintain for 41 months has been... rough. Having co-signed defaulted college loans to pay in the past 41 months has been... rough. Having out-of-state college fees to help with in the past 30 months has been... rough. Trusting in God has been...rough.

In all of this, God has remained... faithful! I don't know why... but, I believe (and 'I know that I know that I know' - as my grandma used to say) that all this waiting is a part of God's perfect plan. Pray with me to that effect... that's God's perfect plan will be fulfilled with this house. Agree with me in prayer that the perfect new owner will come in God's perfect timing.

Want to join me in that prayer? I'm waiting on the LORD to do this :)

Thanks,
stuckinindiana 

His promises...

...they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. Isaiah 40:31

Linking this month with The Nesting Place

 for the 31-day Challenge

HOPE, One Day Closer 10-12-13

I rise before the dawning

of the morning,

And cry for help;

I hope in Your word.

Ps 119:147

For some reason last night, I had some "nightmarish" dreams. If they'd been about fictional people or beings, I think I would have returned to sleep - dismissing the value of them. But, the dreams were about people I love & things that have been of concern to us over the past year or so. SO, I BEGAN PRAYING. I told God that I seriously did not know how much longer I can wait to see Him answer this heartfelt prayer & to understand what the "plan" was! In some of the moments, I feel like I've been waiting forever!! 

Last night was not the first restless night or time of questioning & wondering what was going on. When I get this way, I think about a great scripture passage found in Daniel:

Only I, Daniel, saw this vision. The men with me saw nothing, but they were suddenly terrified and ran away to hide. So I was left there all alone to see this amazing vision. My strength left me, my face grew deathly pale, and I felt very weak.Then I heard the man speak, and when I heard the sound of his voice, I fainted and lay there with my face to the ground. Just then a hand touched me and lifted me, still trembling, to my hands and knees. And the man said to me, “Daniel, you are very precious to God, so listen carefully to what I have to say to you. Stand up, for I have been sent to you.” When he said this to me, I stood up, still trembling. Then he said, “Don’t be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day you began to pray for understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your request has been heard in heaven. I have come in answer to your prayer. Daniel 10:7-12

The scriptures which follow tell of some of the obstacles which were encountered & conquered by God's messenger as Daniel's prayer was being answered.

God says He will answer our prayers. And, I know that His timing is perfect. But, it's not always easy to WAIT until understanding comes. I am trusting that God's messenger is encountering & conquering... in answer to our prayers. 

THIS MORNING... is one day closer to the answer to my prayer. And tomorrow will be another day closer. And the next day... one day closer :) Here's to a bright tomorrow. After all, it'll be one day closer!

Linking October 2013 with The Nesting Place

 for the 31-day Challenge

Waiting on the Porch

Time seemed to stand still. The days passed like weeks. The nights lingered and offered little rest. Each new morning brought more questions & uncertainty. Even so, in those times of darkness, he knew God was at work. Daily he found himself waiting on the porch, honestly crying out to God and waiting with expectation. He laid out his prayers before the Lord & waited with expectation for the answer to those prayers from the God he knew to be the One True God.

It felt like a life time. And, so often, it appeared to be hopeless. Yet, he waited & watched...

(free stock photo from rgbstock.com)

"And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him." Luke 15:20

All of us "churched folk" know the story - the parable told by Jesus of the prodigal son found in the 15th chapter of Luke, verses 11-32. A man had two sons whom he loved dearly. Both brought up in a loving, God-honoring home. Both taught about God of Abraham in word & in deed. And yet... one chose to take another path. 

Do you know someone who's waiting on the porch today? 

How about you? Have you ever been waiting...

• waiting for forgiveness - whether it be from others or yourself
• waiting for someone with whom to spend the rest of your days
• waiting for a relationship to mend
• waiting to find the perfect job or just any job
• waiting for healing to come
• waiting for a lost one to find their way home  

Life has a way of throwing obstacles in our way which we can allow to hinder us from choosing to experience the joy & peace that God offers each of us daily. We can experience this joy & peace daily -- even when we are waiting. I don't think that it's the waiting that bring turmoil. I think it's the waiting without expectation (hope) that breaks us down. 

I'm waiting on the porch today. I'm believing that God is at work & that my waiting is not in vain. I boldly echo the words of the Psalmist:

"Listen to my voice in the morning, Lord. Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly." Psalm 5:3

Are YOU waiting on the porch for something today?

Shared with the Ann Voskamp, Holy Experience, community 9/30/2013...

He is Working... When I Am Speechless

Have you ever prayed about a situation or concern for SO LONG and in SO MANY WAYS that you just don't know what else to say to God? I've had several of those times in my life. (I might be "extra challenged" in that area.)   I've gone for months & months wondering what God had in mind. During some of those times, I've not seen a thing happen. Thankfully, there have been othertimes when I've seen "unaswered prayers" work out to be just what needed to happen - with something better working out later.

Photo from Jupiter Florida
courtesy of T. Getz

I've gotten to the point where I kind of say to God, "Okay, here's what I'd like to happen (or what I don't want to happen)... But, it's up to you."

One scripture passage that's taken on new life for me is Romans 8:25-28, "... if we look forward to something we don't yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently. And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don't know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God's own will. And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them."

I don't like waiting. But, I do like knowing that He is always working for our good! He is working when I am speechless.  Nothing I've done or someone else does can separate me from His love for me!  Nothing can take away my JOY from Him!

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