Monday 30 November 2015

Enough From You

On the shoulders of giants.....that is what my 11 year old stood on this weekend.  It was her first Bible Quizzing tournament.  She had been around her older siblings for the last few years, watching them, in amazement, memorizing huge passages of Scripture.  She was so inspired.  She watched all their quizzing tournaments.  She was at every practice.  She couldn't wait to be old enough to quiz. 

Then, this year, she was finally old enough.  Now there were 4 of our children in Bible Quizzing.  She took it so seriously, I couldn't believe it.  At least 5 or more verses a day.  Within a few weeks she had Galatians down pat.  Then she allowed herself almost 2 weeks strictly for review of every single verse of all 6 chapters.

The night before the tournament we reviewed with her again.  We were certain she would do well.  Are you allowed to encourage your daughter to "clean up" in a Bible Quizzing Tournament????!!! 

The day of the quiz came.....from the first quiz on, people knew she was a contender.  She jumped at every question and almost had a perfect day (2 errors for quoting from the wrong verses, but no points off).  She was doing so well!

The final quiz is for the top 12 quizzers.  There were easily over 100 kids there.  But everyone was quite certain she would make it in the top 12.  They started to list the top 24 first.  No mention of her name.  Then they went in to the top 12.....it got closer and closer to the top 5.  Her older brother's name was mentioned....then finally the top 2.  She was #2!  In fact, if it hadn't been for her 2 errors, she would have been #1!  That was when they mentioned not only was she #2, she was also the Rookie of the Day!  She did so great.

The top 12 quiz was so stressful to watch, but again, she did great as did our other son.  For years he had been trying to be top quizzer for a tournament, but always was beat out in the final moments.  Then, last year, he won, but there had been a mistake and he didn't get the award.  On Saturday, he did it - top quizzer of the day.  He had finally done it!

So, it was a big day for everyone.  But truly, at the end of it all, awards and medals are great, but the greatest thing is that they had the book of Galatians burned into their hearts.  The next book is Ephesians.  Starting today, they take that book on.  These books will be life-changing for them.

The day of the quiz meet was also the day of the craft sale.  I stood at the booth for half a day on the Friday and half a day on the Saturday.....only maybe 3 people came by?!  No sales.  Kind of confusing as you think you are doing the right thing.  You think these ideas aren't ones you thought up yourself, but then no success.  The kids worked so hard that week.  So I'm at a loss in so many ways, even financially, as we had to invest in some supplies, but I have to trust that there is some purpose in all of this that I don't see right now.

That same day we also had to pick up the van.  It had to go in the shop yet again for more repairs.  This time the bill was quite large.  But, not unlike our daughter's struggle, we are trying so hard to be thankful that we were able to get it back in such a short time to be able to enjoy a wonderful family get-together on Sunday and that we were able to be at the quiz tournament on Saturday.  We weren't sure how we were going to do all these things without the van.  So, it really is all perspective.

I find myself crying out to the Lord all the time, pleading our case to him.  In one very funny verse in Deuteronomy, Moses says to the Lord that he pleaded with him, "Please let me go over and see the good land beyond the Jordan..."  But God wasn't too happy with him and said, "Enough from you.  do not speak to me of this matter again."  I wonder if that is how God feels when I complain about my situation to Him.  "Enough from you!"

Earlier on in Deuteronomy it says, "He knows your going through this great wilderness. These forty years the Lord your God has been with you.  You have lacked nothing."  Ok, ok....it's true.  We have lacked nothing.  I always tell my kids, "You've never missed a meal."  It may not be gourmet restaurant food, but they've never missed a meal.  Soup is becoming one of our standbys.  I still love it, but once in a while, I get, "Soup again, Mom?"  "Yes, enough from you,"  I should say to them.

Enough from you.  I need to learn from Moses and remember He's with me on this wilderness journey.   He takes me to the high mountains of Bible Quizzing where my kids experienced great success!  He also takes me to low valleys of broken vans.  Then He brings us to wonderful times of family fellowship!  The wilderness is a place of ups and downs for sure.  I can plead my case before Him, and I'm sure I still will, but I have to remember not to complain too much!  I have much to be thankful for.  Enough from me, then.

Friday 27 November 2015

Life Through a 17 Year Old's Perspective

"My life stinks."  Those were not the words I wanted to hear out of my daughter's mouth this week.  But, as a young woman, going through life, she is starting to experience new struggles.  As a toddler, she had never understood what mommy and daddy were going through, but now, as she is creeping towards 18 at what seems to me to be a rapid rate, she is starting to see life's realities are not always rainbows and sunshine.  She's starting to lose that sweet innocence when it seems all is right with the world.  With this new awareness, however, she was starting to have a reaction I didn't like whenever something "bad" happened to her.  To her, it meant her life stunk.

It started off earlier last month when she didn't do so well on her exam.  She felt she had studied hard, but it was a very hard exam and she was probably relying more on her natural intelligence as opposed to hard core studying than she would ever admit.  Needless to say, she'll be writing that one again.  Then, last week, she had had a little bump on the highway, but it could have been worse, I kept telling her!  Yes, it was going to cost us some money, but somehow we'd find a way to pay for it!  Then, only a few days later, she dropped my phone, shattering the screen.  That was it for her.  That was when she said, "My life stinks."  I knew if she didn't learn now that she needed to develop a different reaction towards life's curve balls then she would become an angry, bitter, negative person.  I didn't want her to be that way.

RM and I really prayed for her this week, that her spirit would recover and that she would start to learn what she was supposed to learn.  Then, we talked a lot about how yes, there were a number of "awful" things that had happened to her, but really, there were so many positives!  She was alive!  She was safe!  She could write the exam again!  She was learning how to study!  She broke the phone's screen, but we could fix it!  Ourselves!  For a fraction of the price!  I wanted her so desperately to learn this life's lesson.  In fact, I couldn't help but see that God wanted her to learn this lesson more than I did.  Why else would all these things be happening except that He was trying to teach her this?

Then, yesterday, another test.  She drove home and didn't notice the gas guage and ran out of gas, or so we thought, at a red light.  Thank goodness for the broken-screen-working-cell phone!  So off RM went to get her some gas, along with the friend she'd been babysitting for earlier that morning, but when the gas went in.....the van still wouldn't start.  "My life stinks!"  I'm sure that was what RM was thinking at that time!!!!   But fortunately, RM has learned, "God is in control....even when it doesn't make sense."  That was from the lesson of Daniel as well as just being older and realizing how many times this sort of thing has happened to us and yet God provides.  I was so curious, though, how my daughter would handle it this time.

I looked at her when she came home, thinking for sure "My life stinks" would come out of her mouth, but she was smiling.  In fact, she was asking if she could go shopping later, a clear sign she didn't think her life stunk anymore!  I'm praying that she's realizing this is just a part of life.  We can't control what God is going to allow into our lives, but we must assume it is for our good.  I trust that she is learning this lesson now.  It will save her a lot of grief later.  We know, sadly, that more "stinky" things will come her way.  In fact, literally, more stinky things are coming our way!  We are going to have to deal with our septic system soon....it is showing signs of not being happy!  But these literal stinky things in our lives, in her life, are all part of a master plan, one we don't see and would never choose for ourselves.  Yet, the Creator or this world, of her life, knows what is best for her and for all of us. 

If she can learn to rest in that then she will not be shaken.  I would much rather have her go through life problem-free, to be honest.  I really don't love watching my kids struggle, but yesterday, when she was stuck at the red light and I couldn't help her, I kept thinking of the verse I'd written about yesterday, "As a man carries his son....."  I knew God would carry her for me, just as RM was driving out to literally pick her up, I knew God would carry her, too, as well as carry us, through yet another trial.

Thursday 26 November 2015

As a Man Carries His Son

I found a great verse the other day that encouraged me to keep writing all our victories as well as our blunders on this journey....It's in Numbers 33:2,

"Moses wrote down their starting places, stage by stage, by command of the Lord......"

The verses immediately following that one are an account of each place they went.  Nearly every verse starts with, "And they set out from...." and then the place is named.  Each trial they had is remembered as you read it, each miracle they saw is touched on.  Some of it is a little boring.  Other times you find yourself reading it thinking, "How could they have been so disobedient?"  Most of the time it is just about their regular life, but then you'll hear about a major victory as they took over a whole mass of land.  Either way, it is a record, a record that God wanted written down for us to read years later, that we might learn many things from those Israelites - what to do, what not to do.

Not much different than us.  A little boring sometimes.  Sometimes a major victory.  Other times I think to myself, "How could we have been so dumb?!"  But, the Israelites kept taking the land that God wanted them to take and eventually they settled in the land that was promised to the next generation.  IT TOOK A LOOONG TIME to get there, but they made it.  There is always light at the end of the tunnel.  Eventually, I pray that we will keep taking new "areas of land", which means many battles ahead, no doubt, but that ultimately we will win this war against debt.

RM just came down sighing.....he is not doing so good at this early morning thing.  I think he has a whole new respect for me.  HA!  But he continues to try...he is going through the Bible in 90 days, not to be outdone by his son who also did it a while back.  This is now the source of his Bible Study material that he is using with our younger 3.  He continues to meet with the three little rascals.  So much work to be done!

As I look ahead to raising our little ones or even the financial battles ahead, it is easy to get overwhelmed, but then I get comfort from verses like Deut. 1:29, "Then I said to you, (God speaking) 'Do not be in dread or afraid of them. the Lord your God who goes before you will himself fight for you, just as he did for you in Egypt before your eyes, and in the wilderness, where you have seen how the Lord your God carried you, as a man carries his son, all the way that you went until you came to this place.'" 

He gives an image that they could picture easily - just as a man carries his son - we all know we would easily pick up one of our children if they were getting tired or if they had fallen.  If we would do that for our children, wouldn't God do that for us?  I am also encouraged by the fact God realizes they might dread or they might fear what is ahead.  Both emotions are a reality for me.  I think dread is almost worse than fear is some ways, but He reminds them not to dread, not to fear.  He goes before us.  He fights for us.  He reminds them of what He did for them in Egypt, when they were slaves, and then when they were out of in Egypt, wandering in the wilderness, a different type of slavery, in a way.  But all the way, He carried them, as a man carries his son, right up until they came to the place He wanted them.

I have to rest in these thoughts, even though it is a daily struggle.  But, as I write nearly every day, I see we have been carried and that is why I will continue to write it down, so I won't forget.  The Israelites forgot on a continual basis.  "Yet in spite of this word, you did not believe the Lord your God, who went before you in the way to seek you out a place to pitch your tents, in fire by night and in the cloud by day, to show you by what way you should go."  I want to believe the Lord who will show me, has shown me, where to pitch my tent, has shown be what way I should go. 

Wednesday 25 November 2015

Eggs and Coffee - A Marriage Saver

Now, we are full into "craft" week.  School by morning.  Crafts by afternoon.  Sore fingers anyone?  Even the little boys were helping me sew yesterday as one pushed the sewing pedal, the other one skewered pins into anything he could find.  Very cute.  We buy the glass for some stained glass ornaments today which will be what the older boys will do.

I have another story to share today, but this isn't related to finances, though it does have an "investment" theme to it.  I share with permission.

This past summer I had been in touch with a friend who was really struggling in her marriage.  Due to not living close by, as well as our trip away and then coming back to school, I hadn't been in touch with her for awhile, but I had been praying the entire time.  I was quite worried about her situation.  She was expecting a baby (which I think she just had two days ago....waiting to hear!) and had other children at home as well.  She was fed up and so was her husband.  The idea of splitting up for a bit had come into his mind as well as her's.  I knew they were serious about that which is why I had started to seriously pray.

Finally, I sat down and tried emailing her a few weeks ago.  I knew I needed to know what was going on.  I was in fact checking in to see if they were still together.  I wouldn't have been shocked to find out that they had split up, even if it was temporary.  I didn't hear back.  That couldn't be good.  Maybe she didn't want to tell me.  But I couldn't leave it at that, so I texted her.  Still no response.  Most texts usually get a quick response.  Now I was worried.

But then, a couple of days later, to my relief, she responded with a "Sorry, my phone/email was down.  I'll give you a call later.  All is well..." type of text.  Whew!  I was so glad to hear from her!  So the next day we talked on the phone and to my amazement.......they not only hadn't separated, but things were better than ever!  What had happened?!  How could this be?!

This is where the theme of investment comes in.......

In the state they were in, her husband had suggested they go away together, just the two of them.  As most of us moms would think, she was completely against the idea, "Who's going to watch the kids?  What will happen if something happens?"  So many questions.  She couldn't get her head around it, but then, her oldest daughter, stepped up and said she would watch the kids (she was old enough) and that all would be fine. 

It took a while for my friend to get her head around it, but she finally started to realize, "If I don't do it now, when?"  I think she knew her marriage depended on this.  So, leaving her kids in her daughter's capable hands (and the Lord's!), off they went.....

One morning while they were away, her husband noticed she was making eggs and coffee....only for herself....and meekly said, "I wouldn't mind an egg...."  "Oh, sure."  So she made him an egg.  She then poured him a coffee, too.  He appreciated this.  They enjoyed eggs and coffee on the patio together.

The next morning, same thing....but this time, she made them without him asking....more special time on the patio together...little flame being rekindled.....

The next morning, more eggs, more coffee...more appreciation from him as this was not typically what she did for him....

This went on the whole time they were there.  She found herself being drawn back to him and him to her as she did this very simple act of love every day.  They came home more in love.

But now, back home, why keep making him breakfast....but she found herself wanting to do this.  So she did morning after morning.  Finally he asked her, "Why are you doing this?"  "Because I know it pleases you."  That was it.  She had found one of the secrets to a happy marriage.  Simply doing something that pleased her husband without any strings attached.  He loved it and in return loved her.

Then she started to notice that she was catching herself from old patterns.  Where she would normally have challenged him, she backed off.  She knew if she gave her two cents it was going to cause a fight.  "Why would I do that?  It wasn't going to help matters?"  she told me, so she just started to stop her extra words when she typically would have gone on and on leading into him becoming angry and then war.....

I was amazed.  It seemed too simple.  Could it be that simple?  Yes, I really think it is.  Eggs and coffee.  Keeping her mouth quiet.  I asked her, "Can I please share your story!?"  She agreed.  She's in a completely new marriage it seems to me.  I can only think it will get better now.  Sure, she has challenges ahead, but now, I think she sees the secrets to a happy marriage - eggs and coffee, selfless serving, thinking first before speaking...all things she knew before I'm sure, but it meant her being the one to take the first step.  Isn't that how it always is?  YOU GO FIRST.  That's one of my favourite lines from a David Jeremiah sermon I heard ages ago.  YOU GO FIRST.  He challenged anyone who was angry or in a state of unforgiveness to stop waiting for the other person to say he was sorry first.  "It'll never happen," he said.  YOU GO FIRST.  Words to live by and my friend is living proof. 

It is also a testimony to the power of prayer.  I had no idea any of this was happening.  I was simply praying whenever her name came to my mind.  I am now embarrassed to think I thought it was over!  I should have had more faith for her!  But I continued to pray.  I'm sure she was praying, too.  I know for a fact, in this time of terrible struggle, she was reading her Bible like she never had before.  She was studying it like she never had before.  I know God answered her prayers and mine and that He has been faithful to His promises that she clung to during that difficult season.

So, there you go - today, I'll make coffee for my husband.  I'll cook an egg and I'll remember that simple act of love is much more than food, it is saving my marriage.

Tuesday 24 November 2015

God Doesn't Work in Our Time Zone

It's always good to reassess the purpose of the blog....is it just a blog about money and debt or is there a greater purpose?  I have to remind myself and anyone who reads this that it is definitely has more than one purpose otherwise there is no point in me being so transparent about our financial situation.  In fact, I should really stop writing if there isn't a greater purpose. 

I want to keep a record of the way the Lord has redeemed us and continues to redeem us on a daily basis.  The Bible says we are to shout out how He has rescued us from the mountain tops!  I want to write this record for myself (as I know I'll forget all the little stories) as well as for my children and their children to come.  I am definitely taking risks by writing about our financial situation and sometimes it is hard to know if I should include the details that I do.  Yet, there are so many miracles along the way, it is hard to not write about them all!

I remember when I was first thinking about doing this blog.  It occurred to me that I could wait until all the debt was gone and then I could write a story about how it all happened, but then I thought, no, it would be way more meaningful if I included the whole journey, as well as all the ups and downs.  I don't even know if there is an end to my story.  Anyway, I'm sharing once again, some amazing stories that happened knowing there is a risk, but I pray God can show the reader how HE is the Redeemer and that it isn't a story about our family as much as it is a story about HIM. There, that's the purpose of the blog.

Last week was a pretty tight week. We knew some bills were coming in, but the money we were expecting would be coming later.  This was definitely a problem.  Oh well, I thought to myself, we'll pray for a miracle with the kids this morning (on the Friday) and then Stephanie is coming over to pray, I'm sure God will work a miracle!  So, the kids and I sat and prayed that morning.  One of the kids specifically prayed that a certain farmer that owed us some money would come by.  I had forgotten about that fact, but it seemed so far-fetched because he had owed us money for weeks if not months and we hadn't seen or heard from him all summer.  I had asked RM to go and see him many times, but he just hadn't felt right about just showing up on his property.

The whole day went by.  I was watching the clock.  I knew if a miracle was going to happen, it would need to be before 5 pm during business hours.  By 5:20 or so, RM had come in for dinner and I asked him, "So, any miracles today?"  "No."  I was a little shocked!  God hadn't come through!  Or so it seemed.  I wasn't too upset, I figured there was still another lesson we were supposed to be learning, but then all of a sudden the phone rang.  "Oh!  I've got to take this....."  It was one of the people who owed him money, calling to say they would be giving him early payment!  This was a definite miracle - I couldn't figure out why they were calling after 5 on a Friday, but then RM told me they were out in B.C. on a different time zone!  I loved it - God doesn't work in our time zones!  He can manufacture a miracle even if it appears to me in my limited thinking that time was up.

We were glad to know we'd be receiving a cheque this week, but we still needed money in the meantime as we didn't know exactly when that cheque would arrive.

I headed off to do my last seminar and brought all sorts of crafts with me that we had made back in June.  The ladies who came ended up buying quite a few books and a couple of crafts as well, so I came back with a few extra unexpected dollars.

When I got home, RM said, "You'll never believe who came by today....."  Yup, the farmer who owed us.  I couldn't believe it.  He just drove in with a cheque with no warning, no call from us, totally out of the blue.

When we added up what I had made and what the farmer had paid us, we knew we would be completely fine until the other cheque came in.  But then....another test....Sunday morning....

RM knew if he tithed that week, we'd be short again.  So funny....just when you think you've got all your ducks in a line.  He admitted to me that at first it occurred to him to make sure he had all his bills covered and then whatever was left over he'd write a cheque for that.  But then, he caught himself and realized that would be giving God the leftovers.  He'd taken care of everything so far, why wouldn't He take care of us again, so RM wrote a cheque first, knowing He'd be leaving us short, at least in our minds.

That morning, the pastor spoke on giving and how God does not want us to give Him our leftovers.  If we give in that manner, than it's better not to give.  What a confirmation for RM!  He was so grateful he had written that cheque before hearing the sermon.  I think his conscience would have driven him crazy otherwise.  We leave the rest up to God, knowing He knows if we are "short".

So, we are continuing to be a true testimony to God's creative ways of providing for His people.  We are learning that God does not live in our time zone, that He can prompt people to pay us without us having to say anything and that even when we think we are out of the hot water, He still wants us to trust Him and He makes sure we stay in dependence on Him.  Whew...more risk, more vulnerability, but I think I know we aren't the only ones going through tests like these.

This week will be a busy one around here.....A couple of weeks ago I saw a sign for a craft fair.  We still have a few things we made in the summer, so I signed us up for a 3 day show this weekend.  We won't be able to do all 3 days, but we are excited to try selling a few of the things we made over the course of the weekend.  RM is going to try to teach the boys another stained glass pattern for Christmas and the girls and I are going to do some more sewing and baking.  It should make for a very busy weekend as they are also quizzing on the whole book of Galatians this weekend, but it's all fun and the kids are excited.  We even did some decorating this weekend, the earliest I've ever done it, to help get us in the spirit of Christmas crafts!

Living in dependence on God is absolutely the best way to live - it really feels more like we are on an adventure, less and less like a test.  I actually find the life of faith fun!  Full of excitement!  Always wondering what God is going to do.  Ok, ok....I do still have my moments for sure.  My flesh tells me "This is too hard!"  But, when I do get a heavenly perspective, then it does become so much easier to walk this faith walk.....

Friday 20 November 2015

Greater Than My Ups and Downs

I head out again tomorrow - last seminar of the year.  I was not sure if I would need to cancel as it was less than 5 women for awhile, but then a few more women signed up and I'm up to 7.  Believe it or not, now I hope no one else signs up!  One of the reasons I was worried about running these seminars is because I have to buy so much inventory.  I can't just purchase the exact number of books I need.  I have to buy large numbers of books in bulk in order to get a good rate and save on shipping, etc.  I never know how many people will come so I'm always guessing at how many to buy.  This last series of seminars I didn't order any books.  I figured I would take the risk and just try to sell what I had on hand.  Each time I ran a seminar I never was certain I would have enough books.  Turns out the low numbers meant I always had enough, but this latest seminar was the kicker.  Now I was really down to the final few.....I was willing to order if I had to of course, but it was a huge upfront cost that I couldn't cover.  What was I going to do if a lot of women signed up?!

Then, yesterday, I went through all those who had signed up and checked one more time at the inventory of books.  To my amazement I have the exact number of books for those who are registered.  And the exact number of photocopies for each woman, which may seem like a simple thing, but that also means I don't have to pay for more photocopying nor do I have to make the time it takes to get them printed at the nearest print shop, so that's really a little miracle for me.  God took care of every detail from the number of books to the papers I hand out.  I cannot tell you the relief.

On another note, whenever we start to notice an issue in our family with a child's behaviour or certain habits we're not so sure we like, they start to meet with Dad in his office, kind of like going to the principal's office for a few days.  We've done it with the older children, but hadn't really done it with the younger ones.  I had been trying to deal with issues that came up on my own and then calling Dad in when necessary, but lately, the younger ones have been going at it with one another in such a way that I had to call in the big guns. 

I have to say, it has been so funny, though it's meant to be quite serious!  I told the younger 3, ages 3-7, "Ok, today, you are meeting with Dad in his office for Bible Study."  The 5 year old got so excited (you're not supposed to be excited to meet with Dad....you're in trouble....), "Oh!  Are we in Bible Quizzing!"  "Well, not exactly, but I do want Dad to give you a verse to memorize."  "Great!  When can we start quizzing!"  "Uh, 7 years?"  "Ok! Let's go to Dad's office!"  Totally missing the point.....

They were not supposed to be excited to go to Dad's office!  But they were, so we went with it and tried to make it a great thing to look forward to!  So the last 3 days, off they go to Dad's office around 9 am for a quick Bible study on being brothers and sisters who love each other instead of fighting all the time.  He's been using the passage in Genesis on Joseph.  The brothers sold their youngest brother into slavery and RM has been telling them that when they fight that is what they are doing, selling one another into slavery....how sad is that?!  They come back each time able to explain to me what they've learned and quite solemn until they see a snack on the table.......then everything they've learned goes out the window and they push each other out of the way!  It has been quite funny to watch.  I'm sure they're learning something!!!!  Maybe when they're 40 they'll remember what it is.

So parenting is a lot of work.  I always tell the kids, "I've never had 8 kids before!  In fact I only just became a mom of 8 three years ago, give me a break!"  I think they get it.  They see it's hard.

We got the bill for the car my daughter hit the other day...yikes.  More than we thought.  But we prayed, grateful for the challenge because it's God's deal.  We left it in His hands.  The same day we got the email with the bill, RM got confirmation to go ahead on a new contract.....coincidence?  I know we'll be able to cover it somehow.  Truth is, it wouldn't have mattered how much it cost, God would have provided a way somehow....He always does.

My kids write this funny little series of signs on their wrists all the time....kind of looks like a tattoo.  I yelled out, "What is that?!"  It was a picture of a cross, followed by a "greater than" sign, then an arrow sign up and an arrow sign down.  "Mom!  It means Christ is greater than my ups and downs!"  "Oh, ha, ha....that's great."  Lesson learned.

Thursday 19 November 2015

A Dad's Rite of Passage

Yesterday was my daughter's "first day/job interview/job shadow/meet-the-moms" all-in-one.  I hadn't been nervous until just before she left.  Suddenly, I started spouting out all these mom-isms like "act professional", "be friendly", "don't chat with friends"......I'm sure that wasn't what she needed right before she left.  I would have said even more, but she was going to be late if I went on and on.  As soon as she left, I started praying.  I even wondered if she would get in an accident and be late.  I prayed against all those thoughts.  I prayed against my pride knowing if she didn't do well it might reflect badly on me!  So self-centered I was sounding!

Only about 20 minutes or so after she left the phone rang.  I wondered immediately if it was her.  I didn't want it to be her.  If it was her, then that meant she was either lost or something had happened.  It was her.

"Mom?" Oh no.  She sounded upset.

"Don't worry. I'm ok."  Why would she say she was ok?

"I hit a car.  Just a small dent.  I don't know what to do......"  In my head I'm thinking "What!!?  On the highway???"

Instead, I quickly gathered my thoughts and just started thanking God she was ok and not dead. 

Right away I told her it was going to be ok and this was a test we could pass.  I knew Satan wanted her first morning ruined.  Mine ruined.  My husband's.  I quickly got RM and explained the situation.  He helped her through it.

Within an hour or two, she was back on the road, at the job, meeting people and fully recovered.  We will somehow deal with the other person's car.

I'm so glad I have people to call on when these things happen.  I sent out a family email asking for prayer and everyone did that.  The calmness that came over all of us was amazing.  None of us were freaking out.  It didn't matter even if there were a major bill coming.  We knew we would be ok.  We really were able to see it as something that in God's sovereignty He had allowed to happen and we just needed to accept that.  It helped to explain to RM that this was not something new.  My Dad had gone through this more than once before with me in particular.  I'm sure it is a rite of passage for Dad's with teenage daughters.  I quickly explained to him that my Dad had handled it very well and really had been more concerned with the fact I was ok...hint, hint....  Yes, inside he was probably less than happy with me, but he was very careful to communicate concern and not anger in those moments.  I was grateful!  I want my daughter to have that same memory!  And she will....RM handled it great. Whew!

It does seem like just about every day we come across one challenge or another.  This one was a big one, but it could have been sooooo much worse.  It happened at low speed, in traffic, not at high speed involving multiple vehicles.  No one was hurt.  It wasn't a Mercedes that she hit, just a Civic.  I know she had angels all around her.

We wake up each morning.  We don't know how to pray, but we just do, asking Him to give us His grace to handle what is ahead.  With this accident it adds a little uncertainty to the financial situation, but God's grace can handle that, too.  If He somehow allowed it to happen, He will somehow help us find the money to pay for it.  I rest in that and just keep going.

Wednesday 18 November 2015

Numbering Our Days

Day 3 - still at it.  Everyone is walking around a little bit like zombies during the day, but hitting the sheets hard at night, so the early mornings are making an impact!  We're having good conversations about the books the boys are reading.  We're seeing more productivity in our school days and our work days. 

RM is taking time to meet one on one with each child over the next few days and weeks.  He's checking in on what they are doing with their time.  Each one has to create their schedule for him and account for their hours.  It was very revealing as he met with the oldest this week.  He found out she is busy!  No wonder she is struggling with college...she doesn't have a lot of time to focus 100% on it!  She's got all sorts of things going on.  Seeing it on paper, having her write out what each day looks like, really helped him help her organize her time.  Once we saw how many spots on her schedule were filled we realized she needed to change a few things in order to accomplish her long list of things to do.  Sounds obvious, but having it written out as opposed to "in your head" is very helpful.

This is the basic premise of the other book the Maxwells wrote called Managers of Your Homes.  I've written schedules for the other children when they were younger, but I hadn't written one for the oldest this year as I felt she should do it.  She hadn't.  She had lists of things to do, but not when and how she would get those things done.  Once again, no wonder she wasn't getting everything done.  Mystery solved.

I'm excited to write that next seminar.  I'll be giving it in February.  I'll be able to use even this example of my daughter taking the time to write it out to show how important it is to have a schedule and how so much gets missed if you don't.  So many people, including myself, get scared by the idea of being ruled by the schedule.  That is not the point of the book at all.  If anything the Maxwells don't want us to be ruled by a schedule.  They are encouraging us to be good stewards of our time and writing it out calls us to account for all of our minutes.  "Teach us to number our days!"  We do need to number our days, as well as our minutes, our hours, so that we don't waste them.  We need to see them as gifts to us and then use them as such.

One more seminar to give this weekend up north - another loooong drive for a small group of women, but I'm excited to go.  I love meeting the new women and encouraging them to keep at it! 

Tuesday 17 November 2015

I Should Be In Sales

Poor RM, day 2 of early rising...nearly killing him.  It's hard for me not to laugh a little.  I always say to him, "One of the seven habits of highly effective people!"  It's true!  Steven Covey says so in his book!  It's been great though....who wants to add more hours to their work day, but when you are in business for yourself, there are times when you have to add more hours and it's a good thing, especially as he is hunting down more work right now.  It's just the life of an entrepreneur....

This earlier hour is helping us with our laundry costs.  I was starting to get lazy and putting in a load in the middle of the day where the electricity is cheaper, but not cheapest.  Now, I'm getting more loads done at the cheapest hour which makes a huge difference with the amount of laundry I'm doing. 

Another interesting thing we've done to save our family some money has been to add more natural remedies to our life.  I'm not in the business of essential oils, nor am I marketing it for anyone, but the way I'm going to talk about them you would think I was in sales.  I went to a health food store a few weeks ago and said, "Give me something to boost our immunity!"  I can't remember who wasn't doing well at the time, but nothing I gave that person was working.  I needed them to get better and it wasn't happening.  The lady at the store suggested the oil of oregano and then gave me a book that went along with it.  I had heard of this for years, but had never tried it.  It wasn't that I didn't believe my friends who were using it, I just kept forgetting to buy it.  Finally, I had it in hand and went home to try it.

I read the book that went along with it and was amazed at all the things it could be used for, from allergies, to minor injuries, to colds and flu, sore throats, etc.....at the next sign of sickness, I gave it to one of my kids and seriously, they were better the next day.  Then I felt a little sick with a cold.  I took it and the next day, no symptoms.  I thought this was coincidence at first, but I have done this child after child and to my amazement, they always get better at a speed I've never seen before.  I've used it on cold sores, any skin irritation and it clears it up. 

This has to be one of the biggest secrets out there!  It saves you so much money on all the other drugs you would normally take when you are sick, like Tylenol or cold medicines.  We don't lose time the way we used to with sick kids lying around.  It doesn't pass through the whole house anymore like it used to.  I'm in awe of this oil and its medicinal qualities.  I told you I should be in sales.

So, I can't say enough about it.  We now use it at the first sign of a sniffle or sore throat.  It tastes horrible, but my kids have bought into it.  They see the difference themselves.  The trick is to make sure you take a full glass of water immediately after placing a few drops on your tongue.  If you do that then you can power through the taste no problem.

It may seem like a funny money saving idea, but it does save you money if you think about the way you would normally spend money on expensive medicines.   It's not always about money though, but about saving time in lost productivity.  I love how we've been healthy for months now.  My next major test for this oil will be in the summer during haying season.  If I can keep my kids from the alleriges they suffer then I'm going to go into the oil of oregano business.  Just watch.

Monday 16 November 2015

Chores and the 40 Days of Christmas

It ended up being a long day, but a very worthwhile day heading all the way to what they call "The West Coast of Ontario"!  It was a long drive!  However, a privilege to meet more young moms all looking to run a smoother household.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, I had prepped my daughter who was staying behind to "be the oldest girl while I was gone".  She immediately told me that she would be sure to tell me all the bad things the 5 year old did while I was away.  I said, "No, no, no!  Try to keep track of all the good things he does!"  "Oh!  That would be much more encouraging," she said.  "Yes!" I was relieved to see she understood.  But.... when I came home, she ran up to me.  She just couldn't help herself, I guess.  She had made a chart.  It was a "Jonas Book".  In it she had put little filled-in circles for every bad thing he did and empty circles for every good thing he did.  Unfortunately, he had a lot of black filled-in circles....!  She said he did do one good thing, whatever that was!  So she kind of did what I said....?  Somehow they managed while I was gone..... it's definitely their part in helping me run the seminars.

RM managed to side another part of the house, so only one section left!  After that, he'll move on to the front part of the house (so far it's only been the back part).   It does seem warmer in here though!

Exciting news with our oldest daughter and an answer to prayer - she got a job teaching gr. 1-4 children in my younger sister's homeschool co-op.  Once a week she'll go in for the morning and teach whatever subject they would like her to cover starting in January.  It's a paid position and is going to be great experience for her as there will be about 9 kids in the class with varying skills and ages.  Her days and weeks are just filling up with opportunities.  I was able to use her as an example of what a chore system can do!  It sounds funny, but one of the things I shared with the women on Saturday is the lifetime benefits of chores.  If they are learning chores from a young age, then they will develop a work ethic that ultimately an employer will see and they will be the ones who get hired right away.  My oldest daughter has been the one to lead the way in our family with her work ethic.  When we first started doing the chore system she bought into it right away.  She loved it!  I'm quite convinced that it helped develop her good work ethic and helped her get this job.  I don't think that is a stretch to think that at all and I told the women I believe it is a direct result of doing chores her whole life that she got hired!  In fact, I think it has helped her accomplish other things in her short span of life that made my sister quite willing to consider hiring her and gave her confidence in bringing her resume to the other moms as the new potential teacher.

It was an encouragement even to me as I talk about these lifetime benefits of chores, but now, having done this system for 9 years, I'm truly seeing the results.  I praise God for chores!  For the Maxwells for creating the system!  I know we don't need any system to learn how to do work - work has been from the beginning of time even in the Garden of Eden.  Adam was put in there to dress the garden, but I do love systems.  I love having things put in a nice little package for me.  And that's what the Maxwells have done.  I'm grateful as I'm now seeing the wonderful results and this allows me to really speak to the women with confidence as well - teaching our children to work will bring blessing!  Guaranteed!  I'm living proof!

You'll never believe this, but 40 days from now it will be Christmas Day.... can you believe that?!  I feel like summer just ended!  I counted back 40 days from the 25th very intentionally and decided I would try to prepare myself spiritually for the 40 days.  Then, of course, I presented the idea to the family and they're all in.  Each of us are doing something for the next 40 days.  It isn't Lent, but just a time where we are going to commit to doing something hard, making a sacrifice, something different for each one of us.  My husband and I are committed to an earlier wake up which is very hard for my husband (easier for me).  We are planning to pray about many things, including our debt reduction plan, our children, his work.  Some of the kids might not get up as early, but they've agreed to an earlier wake up as well.  I've asked them to consider reading throughout the 40 days a more theologically heavy book as a challenge instead of the light reading they love (a comic book?!).  So each one is picking either a C.S. Lewis book or a biography like the one we have on David Brainerd.  I think they are ready to start reading books like that on a regular basis.  It's all about appetites, so I'm trying to feed that type of reading as a better appetite than just the light stuff all the time.

We're taking this 40 days seriously as we are continuing to feel the bondage and the impact it is having on us.  We are coming before the Lord yet again asking for a plan, for freedom, for wisdom.   We talked about Christmas as a family and once again, to my amazement, the children know there will be no gifts.  It makes no sense to buy things we cannot afford.  To go into debt to put things on our shelf that will be broken or lost in a few days after Christmas also makes no sense.  The kids didn't even flinch to my relief.  However, once again, I will decorate, I will bake, I will go to as many Christmas-y events (the free ones!) because I do love the season so much - we all do.  In fact, I'm considering decorating really soon and stretching the season even longer.  I am going to celebrate Christ's birth - I just don't have to do it the way the world does.  I can therefore go into this season with true joy and anticipation whereas in other years, I dreaded it as I knew I somehow had to find a way to pay for it all.  I knew I had to find the time to shop -how?  I knew I had to buy soooo many gifts for all the kids as I could never stop at just one...... The burden off of me is so great, I can't begin to explain.

Too funny, my big boys just walked in...."I can't even see," my oldest one said....I guess he's not used to the early hour.... may God bless them for their commitment.  "It's going to change your life... it's going to change your life," I tried to encourage the other one.  "Uh huh....." he mumbled back.  I pray God gives them insight and endurance and all the other spiritual blessings that come when you pursue God on a deeper level.  I'm trying to get them to learn to love coffee.... maybe this will be what it takes.....

Friday 13 November 2015

A Thousand Promises, A Mowed Lawn and a Hedge of Thorns

Even kids get disappointed, too - that's what I heard in one of my kids yesterday.

We've been really honest with the kids all along about where we are in a financial sense.  We don't always give them exact numbers, but definitely a good general sense.  We are never trying to put fear or stress into them, instead trying to be honest so they can learn from us, but yesterday one of them said, "But, it gets so disappointing when you've been at it so long and it doesn't seem like God is doing anything."

He said this because we'd just finished reading a series of verses that kept pointing to hope.  I'd read from Romans 4:18 that Abraham "believed in hope against hope."  My translation?  He believed when it made no sense.  It was such an encouraging discussion as we realized Abraham had only one promise, we have thousands.  Abraham had the Lord as his strength for sure, but he had very few, if any, faithful examples of other believers, whereas we have countless examples of heroes in the faith that we look to for strength.  Therefore, the devotional read, "it is simply to your advantage to rely with confidence upon the Word of God.  And although He may delay in sending His help, and the evil you are experiencing may seem to become worse and worse, do not be weak."  That was where my son said how disappointed he was that God hadn't answered as soon as he had hoped.

That took us into another verse about how God loves a mowed lawn.... what?!  Well, in Psalm 72:6 it speaks of how God is like rain falling on a mown field.  The interesting thing to note in this verse is that in order to send the rain and see God as refreshing it requires cutting.  We get "cut" in order to become like a velvet lawn.  In this case, it is not a lawnmower, but with God's tools.  He uses what the writer described as the "scythe of pain" or the "shears of disappointment" or even the "sickle of death".  That was so good to read.  It was good to share with my son.  All throughout the Bible, it went on, the Word of God compares people to grass.  God's rain comes when "desolation seems to reign".  I was able to tell my son, "God has been mowing us!  He wants to make us a velvet field of grass!"  I reflected with them all that God could have easily answered our prayers for financial freedom on day one of praying, but in His sovereignty He hasn't and I'm so glad!  We would have never stayed on our knees the way we have been.  We would have missed out on so many wonderful lessons that will stick with our kids forever.  We would have missed out on the many miracles He's done in our lives in the way He has provided in the 11th hour.  I think not only my son understood this, but we all did.

We read one more passage after that and this was one of the most powerful.  1 Chronicles 4:23, "These were the potters, and those that dwelt among plants and hedges:  there they dwelt with the king for his work."  This had to be one of the most obscure verses I'd ever come across, yet it was easy to understand what the intent was right away.  The potters who were working with the king "dwelt among plants and hedges."  It just doesn't make sense.  If you are working for a king, the king should be in a palace and the potter should at least be living near, if not in, the palace as well.  But no, there they were among plants and hedges, with the king.  I told the kids to picture living in our hedge.  Not a pleasant place, literally full of thorns.  None of wanted to live there, yet I said, that is where we are!  We are living in the country, not in a place of importance, and yet God has us here with a few thorns in our lives... the mortgage debt, not a perfect set of vehicles or a perfect home, inconsistent work, etc. etc., yet the king dwells with us "for his work".  I would think a king could take out a hedge of thorns if he wanted to, but in our case, He hasn't, so we have to trust this king, don't we?  And, not unlike the potters, we are just an ordinary family, and yet He chooses to work with us.  All of these passages had us so encouraged yet again that we are right where He wants us.

I head to another small little obscure town tomorrow to give another seminar to a very small group of women.  It just doesn't make sense to go.  I am now losing money not making money.  Yet it is good experience for my girls and gives me another opportunity to share what I've learned through this book.  The truth is, I would still want to go even if it was for just a couple of women.  I'm praying God will use the time tomorrow for His glory.

Wednesday 11 November 2015

Neighbourhood Life Lessons

Today it is raining and it appears like it has been raining all night.  In the past that would have made us very worried as our basement wasn't coping so well until this past summer.  Now, it is clean and dry and a wet day like today makes us so grateful for the work RM was able to do this year. 

Our next project has been taking us several years to do, but one step at a time..... it is slowly, but surely getting done.  We've been residing the house on our own for the last couple of years.  Our house was never insulated very well and we have been paying heating bills that were astronomical.  The bills are slowly coming down, but there is still more work to do. 

This past weekend he fully finished one side of the house with our boys' help.  It is no small task as he is always in pain to some degree when he is done for the day, but to hire it out would cost thousands.  This way our boys are getting an education and we are saving tons of money.

At this new community church we're checking out, it turns out we are now rubbing shoulders with pillars of the community who have lived in this town for years.  It kind of feels like going to church at Little House on the Prairie where everyone knows everyone.  On Sunday night, just through chance conversation with one of the senior men who attend, RM found out that one of our neighbours had passed away!  We had no idea!  I felt so badly that we hadn't known that I was determined to make a quick visit to give our condolences.

The next morning, one of the kids made some muffins.  They were fresh and warm and I thought, "That's perfect, I'll bring some of those."  It's funny how nervous I got suddenly.  We never speak to these neighbours though our properties touch.  They keep to themselves very much and don't ever come our way.  That explains why I didn't know, I guess.  But suddenly I found myself wondering if this neighbour would think I was nuts or if it would even seem appropriate.  Strange how I was second guessing myself, but I went with the younger 4 and the muffins and off we went.

It ended up working out perfectly.  The neighbour, in his 70s, was out with another neighbour who was over visiting with him, enjoying the sunshine.  I was glad I knew for sure he was home.  I waved from the street and he and the other man waved back.  Then, I walked up the long driveway to say hi and told him we had only just heard about his wife passing away much to our embarrassment.  He was very gracious and explained it had been just over 10 months ago.  She had had a series of strokes and in just 3 days, she was gone.  He said they had buried her on New Year's Eve.  It all happened so fast.  She was much younger than him, only 52.  I could see it in his face that he was still very easily moved to emotion if the wrong questions were asked. 

I was so glad we went to visit.  Everything in me didn't want to even though I knew it was the right thing to do.  I didn't want to have to talk about death.  I didn't want to meet the man who had lost his wife.  I didn't want to be in an uncomfortable situation, but I came back so grateful for the chance to show him some compassion, to let him know that even though we didn't see one another very often that we were thinking of him.  It was good for our little ones to see him, to hear his story, for me to see his emotion.

I told RM we now have a responsibility to him as a widower.  We really need to make regular visits with food or extra baking or whatever.  God has put him in our life.  It is not easy for any of us to deal with death and I am not very good at it, but I want my children to learn compassion and so this is a great way.  Once again, it was also a great reminder that every day is a gift.  We can't take for granted a single day.

Today is Remembrance Day.  I'm thinking of my grandfather who was in the war, but was one of the fortunate few who came back alive after being separated from his wife for 4 years.  Many pieces of his puzzle have been put into place thanks to my uncle doing some major work in compiling all their letters over those long years apart.  It was so interesting to read this year.  So today the kids will write letters to my uncles for doing all that work and for keeping his memory alive.  I'm so grateful.  This way they truly will never forget.

Monday 9 November 2015

To Play or Not to Play?

I hardly think I have the wisdom of Solomon, but I do ask for it just about daily, especially when it comes to my kids.  This past week there was a huge conflict, as there often is, over our cute little kitten..... which kid was going to win as they were both convinced it was their turn with the kitten and were just about pulling it in half.  Solomon's wisdom kicked in....

"Ok, I know how to solve this..... get me a knife and I'll cut the kitten in half!"

To my shock, one of them said, "Sure!"

Then I asked, "Which half do you want, the head or the tail?"

The three year old said, "The head," very matter-of-factly.

The five year old shouted out, "Noooo!"

That was when I knew who the true kitten holder should be..... so I passed it on the 5 year old and said to the 3 year old that he must wait his turn for 5 minutes.  Perhaps that wasn't true Solomonic wisdom, but it helped solve the conflict at least for that moment!

This past weekend wasn't near as warm, but it saw us all trying to be as productive as possible.  I did manage to give the seminar to a smaller group than last year, but I praise God for the 4 women who came and I pray that they will be able to go home and implement the Maxwell's system.  Giving the seminar is as much for me as it is for them and is such a good reminder to me as I recall all the reasons I loved their system in the first place.

Teaching children to do chores ends up being only a little about keeping a house clean.   It really is more a Bible study on work.   Another side benefit is that is makes your children more eligible for marriage!  I told the women that I think the subtitle underneath the words, "Managers of Your Chores" should be, "How to make sure you raise a son who knows to how work so their will be someone to marry my daughter"!  One of the women quickly added, "Or, how about, raising a daughter so there is someone to marry my son!"  Because so many children are not taught how to work, but instead how to play, there is a whole group of women (and men, I suppose) who are single, longing to be married, but (and the reason I pick on the boys is because they tend to play more it seems) the boys they want to marry are too busy playing!  I've heard actual radio shows on this about these adult children who just play play play, but in adult form.

I'm very grateful for my upbringing (we did chores everyday after school) and for my husband's upbringing (where he was taught many skills) as I did find someone to marry!  All of my siblings did, praise God!  But I know this isn't the case in a lot of homes nowadays and I can think of many who have had to either wait and get married later or simply stay single.  I'm sure it might seem like my reasoning is a little whacked and that there are other circumstances that keep people single.  Obviously I realize that, but I don't think I'm that off-base.  We all know the age for getting married is definitely later.  My logic isn't always mentioned for sure, but I'm a little suspicious that I might be on to something!

It really makes a lot of sense when you think about it.  If Satan can keep Christian marriages from happening then He keeps Christians from being born and so on and so on, but he can't do it by keeping men and women away from each other.  He's got to distract them with something that delays marriage or even makes it seem like a ball and chain.  So he presents "Play" as the better alternative.  This can take many forms.  When we're little it's clearly "toys".  I want my children to play and I do let them play most of the day, but we do not want that to become their main activity.  I purposely limit their play much to their frustration and we have a time of work several times a day, not just in the morning, but after each meal, after school, before bed or whenever I realize I'm doing too much on my own. 

As any child gets older, if work wasn't introduced when they were younger, than it'll be very hard to take that appetite away.  The Maxwells are big on watching what appetites we feed.  The world has figured out there are great adult toys or fun things to do which in and of themselves aren't bad, but if that appetite has never been capped, that is all an adult will want to do - play with their adult toys!

All this to say, giving the seminar was a great reminder for me, too!  I told the women that one of the main reasons we don't limit their play is because we don't want to make them unhappy.  I always get this big, "Awwww.....!" from the little ones as they really could play all day and if I interrupt their plan, they aren't happy with me.  Or, I see them playing so nicely and I wonder to myself, "Do I have to interrupt them?  They are playing so nicely!"  I didn't used to stop them, I would do it all myself and then later I would wonder why my house was still a mess, dinner wasn't made and the piles of laundry were still there!  It's because I cannot do it on my own, so I must stop them, I must interrupt them.  It's for their sake and for my mine.

Right now, they are all sleeping.  Poor things.  I will be waking them up soon.  I found that very hard to do at first as they are enjoying their rest and they look so sweet in their beds!  I might let the little ones sleep in (though they wake up early on their own anyway), but those big lugs?  I wake 'em up now, no problem.  I have a bigger picture in mind, to make productive adults.  I know my dad is up right now.  He gets up at 5 am just about every day.  He puts in almost a full day's work before work!  Who gets to sleep in as an adult!?  What job lets you wake up and come in when you want???  So I figure that I'm just preparing them to be moms and dads who have to get up even if they're tired.

We watched a movie about a bunch of kids who had to wake up every morning at 4 to go pick vegetables from the fields before school.  The mom dragged them out of the beds, sometimes to the floor, and off they went in the truck, only to go back to the fields later after school until dark picking again.  I warned the kids, "I might just drag you out of bed the way that mom did!" as I've been pretty gentle so far, but sometimes they just don't get out of bed!  Perhaps I need to pull them out like this mom.....

Well, on that note, I'm supposed to be waking some of them up now.  I'll finish my coffee first.......

Friday 6 November 2015

I Want a Burning Party!

"I can speak turkey, Mom." 

"That's great!  How do you know?"

"Well, I went up to one of them and said this 'Gobble, gobble, gobble,' and it answered me!"

"That's so funny!"

"Yeah, so now I speak dog, mourning dove and turkey!"

This was an actual conversation I had with my 5 year old recently.  He's discovered he can "speak" to all of our animals or birds on the property and they "speak" back to him.  He's quite serious about his abilities.  Very cute.

What a beautiful week of weather we've had!  It was in the high teens or low 20s all week.  My kids were in shorts and t-shirts every day.  We would get our school done in the morning and by 1:30 we were at a trail or a hike somewhere nearby each afternoon.  How could we not?!  It was too gorgeous to miss.  I found myself in absolute awe that the first week of November would give us this kind of weather and was counting my blessings as I wore my flip flops outside.

This week in the news, a man made headlines for paying off his mortgage at 30 years old.  This was no small mortgage.  He had bought a $425,00 home in Toronto somewhere and had $255,000 remaining, which is quite something in itself.  Somewhere around age 27, he decided to get serious and serious he got!  Last week he had a "Mortgage Papers Burning Party" where he invited all his friends to his ceremony and they helped him celebrate as he literally lit the papers on fire.  His words after were that "it was such a burden lifted".

So how did he do it?!  It seems like it was an impossible task!  Wasn't it?!  It was not one thing, but a series of things he did and here's the worst word in the whole deal that would sum it all up..... sacrifices.... yuck.  He made lots of them.

These are the things he did: 

He started by moving into the basement where he had a small apartment and he rented out the upstairs.  Great idea, but not a lot of fun living in a basement for that long. 

He got two extra jobs, so he was working 3 jobs during the 3 year period.  A regular full-time job, then a writing job that he did in the evenings from home and then a part-time job at a grocery store in the meat department (which is funny because he's a vegetarian.....)

He rode his bike to work.

He brought a bag lunch to work.

He never ate out.

He didn't go on vacations or travel.

He said when all his friends were out partying on the weekends he would be at his house writing for his other job.

He lived very frugally and said his best friend was Kraft dinner during the 3 years.

Those were just a few of the things that were mentioned in the article.  Each thing mentioned definitely indicates a sacrifice. Now there are a few key differences if I start getting blue and comparing myself to him.  He wasn't married.  I am!  He had no kids.  I have 8!  He was able to work 3 jobs.  Well, in a way, my husband already is, between farming, his engineering business, the controls business and raising a family, he's pretty busy!  Now, we could always push ourselves more, but then, we could miss out on our family along the way and I don't want to do that, so it's always keeping a fine balance between killing debt and raising a family.  He didn't have to weigh those things in a balance. 

So, after reading that, I was super inspired, a little discouraged, but mostly reminded crazy things like getting rid of a mortgage can be done!

On a different, but slightly related, note....This weekend begins the month of giving my seminar on Manager of Your Chores.  I hope to end up in at least 3 different locations within a 2 hour radius and that will help contribute to our income in a small way.  I still love giving these seminars and perhaps I will get more opportunities out of this.  You never know.

Back to the guy I mentioned who paid off his mortgage.  When asked what he was going to do now since he had no mortgage to pay anymore, he said, "Cut back a little on my hours, do a little more spending time with friends and perhaps travel."  Yet, even so he was relaxing a little, he was still maintaining a frugal lifestyle, living in a basement (until there was a wife, he said), etc.  I guess once you get the frugal bug, you can't shake it.

The position we find ourselves in keeps us on our knees for sure.  We had a small test this week - would we trust God?  I had written that RM had gotten a request for a quote almost guaranteeing him work.  That same day I wrote that, soon after RM had given the quote, he got an email from the client who was very upset at his pricing.  RM couldn't understand as he'd been giving him the same pricing for years.  There had been one small adjustment in what the client wanted and he assumed the quote would be waaaay cheaper.  After receiving that email it appeared we wouldn't be getting the work after all!  Our hopes were dashed to the ground, just like that and we struggled on and off for a few days, not knowing what to do or think.

But then yesterday morning, we discussed it again and said, "This is a test."  Were we will willing to trust God, like Abraham, who first gives him a son and then threatens to take him a way as a sacrifice?  We decided if we weren't supposed to get that work, there must be a reason and God would provide another way, just like the ram in the thicket.  So we gave up worrying about it.  That afternoon, there was another email in RM's inbox, "Sorry about the miscommunication.  Go ahead with your quote for just a few less items."  We were back in business!  Was it because we chose to trust God?  I'm sure it was.  I think we passed the test.

Once again, back to the paid-off mortgage guy.... did he have ups and downs like us?  I'm sure he did.  The article didn't take the time to go into those details nor was there any mention of God, though he may have been a Christian, who knows.  For us, learning the lessons we are learning are as much a part of the process as trying to pay off the mortgage.  It's going to be a huge part of our story one day - the life lessons. 

One final interesting thing was that they interviewed a couple of friends who were at the burning party and each one said, "Great for him.  I could never do what he did."  No one was willing to make the sacrifices or do what it took to pay off that large sum of money.  They figured it was too hard and he was a little over-the-top.  Perhaps he was, but now look who's got a paid off house and no debt...... I'd rather be the over-the-top guy......

Monday 2 November 2015

Watching the Cloud, Loving the Wilderness

November is here. Time is flying by.  Now, I'm in in Numbers and once again I find myself relating to the Israelites, but this time for a different reason.  I'm looking up into the sky, waiting for the cloud to move.  I want things to change!  But the cloud is still there.  Sometimes I see a glimmer of what I think is the cloud moving, but no, it is still there, in the same place above the "tabernacle" of our home. 

I had never thought of what it must have been like to be an Israelite with respect to the cloud.  They moved when the cloud moved and stayed when it stayed.  The Bible said, "Whether it was two days, or a month, or a longer time, that the cloud continued over the tabernacle, abiding there, the people of Israel remained in camps and did not set out, but when it lifted they set out.  At the command of the Lord the camped, and at the command of the Lord they set out." (Numbers 9:22, 23)  There were probably some who loved it when there was going to be a change of scenery, but there were probably others who felt, "Not another move!"

For me, I don't want to literally move.  I want God to move us from a place of debt to no debt, but He's keeping that cloud still.  What I found most encouraging, however, in this passage is that whether the Israelites were there for "two days, a month or a longer time", the cloud "continued over the tabernacle, abiding there."  It's not like He is unaware of my circumstance.  He doesn't go away and then just show up when He wants to do something in my life.  He's always abiding with me, continuing over my tabernacle.

I see this in how He continues to show us His constant love.  We shipped another order this past Friday, knowing other than writing courses (which take a long time to do and take a long time to get paid), no other work was coming.  Sure enough, once the order was done, RM went to his computer to do some paperwork and there was a request for a quote for yet another contract that He wasn't expecting at all.  It isn't a done deal, but it is highly likely that He will get it.  To me, it is just another sign of His tremendous faithfulness and keeping us faithful as we didn't know about that until the last contract was literally done and shipped.  I think sometimes if we knew ahead of time that work was definitely on its way, we'd sit back and not be nearly as prayerful as we are when there is no proof of other work coming down the line.

I'm having to really trust God for my daughter this week.  I'm praying her "college cloud" will move forward, not backwards in failure.  This week is do or die for her - she's learning the hard lessons of college - don't leave all your studying until the last minute!  She's writing two exams on Wednesday and I think up until this point she has just relied on her natural abilities to get her through.  It doesn't work that way with higher education.  You have to actually put in the time and a LOT of it.  I trust that she won't have to experience failure in order to learn this life lesson.  I'm praying God will be gracious to her and give her the abilities to pass.  We've had a lot of discussions about better studying techniques and I've had friends like Stephanie share her experiences as well in order to pump her up!  Ultimately, I think this will decide if she's got what it takes to keep going.  Very hard for me as I watch her go through this.  I wish I didn't know everything about her schedule.  Hard for me to keep my mouth shut.  So I say what I can, keep my mouth shut when I need to and pray, pray, pray. 

I think the cloud has finally settled on a church, however.  We had tried one church for nearly 7 months and it was wonderful, but it was just so far.  I know some people have no problem traveling long distances and it does make sense in some cases, but with a large family I was finding the extra two hours it took (total time back and forth) too much.  We had dismissed the local churches near us for a variety of reasons, but found one church coming up over and over in discussion.  We finally decided to check it out.  It has only been three weeks, but I think we're going to give it a go.  My favourite part?  5 minutes away.  I LOVE THAT!  It is a very friendly group of people and though we clearly stand out as a different group just by the size of our family alone, they are very welcoming.  I did feel a bit like an Israelite as we wandered through the wilderness of no church family for a while, but God taught us many lessons through that whole experience. 

So.... ultimately, the wilderness can be a good place.  I'm learning to stop fighting God, especially when I want Him to move me or settle me.  His timing is always best, whether it's "two days, or a month, or a longer time......"