Decisions, God's Faithfulness

Accomplishing Goals

I ask God every day to bring all the right things and all the right folks into my life and to help me recognize them when they show up. That’s how I built my whole life.

Dolly Parton

Dolly dreamed big dreams, but she focused on the process and what she had been given, trusting God to provide.

I don’t dream big dreams. (See here.) I don’t believe I can be whatever I want to be. (See here.)

How do I move forward with the vision I believe I’ve been given when I have doubts or become discouraged?

The past fifteen months, I was involved in two unexpected, overwhelming projects that had great impact on others and blessed me tremendously. On reflection, this scripture came to mind.

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Ephesians 2:10 (ESV)

By recalling how God prepared me for these recent works—which I would not have chosen—it becomes easier to trust that I’ve been prepared for those future projects that at times seem overwhelming.

Book Recommendations, God's Faithfulness

Redeemed from Trouble

Oh give thanks to the Lord for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever! Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he has redeemed from trouble.

Psalm 107:1-2 (ESV)

Forget being redeemed from trouble because I don’t want trouble to begin with. Especially as a child, I longed for happiness and perfection.

I was drawn to TV shows like The Waltons, Andy Griffith, and My Three Sons. I craved the comfort, hope and security they offered.  Books such as the All-of-a-Kind Family series, and the Judy Bolton Mystery Series met the same need.  They were a Sunday roast, mashed potatoes with gravy, and three fingerfuls of buttercream frosting all between well-worn pages.

Fiction proved I could grow up and have a different life.

Now, I’m wiser. I’m drawn to the fiction that shows redemption. No one gets happiness and perfection—except in rare, short bursts.  Hope and security come from the knowledge that we can be redeemed from trouble.

My current favorite authors—Gary Schmidt, Mary Amato, Katherine Paterson and Gordon Korman—show what a life redeemed from trouble looks like, and it is good.

Oh give thanks to the Lord for he is good.

God's Faithfulness, Stories I Share

An Unexpected Gathering of Saints Pt 3

If you followed my inheritance distribution—see here and here—you still haven’t met everyone. The last to arrive—and feast on pizza and ice cream—were brothers from the local hobby shop.

After the only child of my widowed uncle passed, my uncle turned to model trains as a diversion during his lonely, lonely days.

Uncle Floyd documented the building.

My last conversations with my uncle included his train set. Who would enjoy it?  He finally bequeathed it to a nephew, who took many cars and tracks.

The remainder of the set weighed on me. My husband called a local hobby shop in hopes of finding a taker. The employee who answered the phone said his brother would be interested. Coincidence?  He offered to pay what he could. We declined and only asked him not to take items to sale.

I documented the dismantling, which took over 25 hours. (Above and below)

While we visited, we learned that these strangers were Believers, too.

We received a thank you text that included a promise that the brothers’ use of the materials would make Uncle Floyd proud.

It was a grand day. I look forward to our reunion in heaven.

God's Faithfulness, Stories I Share

An Unexpected Gathering of Saints Pt 2

So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.

Galatians 6:10 (ESV)

January four years ago, my husband and I flew to Oklahoma to distribute my inheritance. (See here.) What we gave away was overshadowed by the unexpected experiences my inheritance allowed us to have.

The best came through a young boy. I was only told he was staying with my uncle’s friends, and an adult was sleeping on the sofa so the child could have a bed.

Whenever I found a stash of candy, I handed it to him and he passed it around. I thought that being the keeper of the candy would make the child’s day. What made his day was seeing my uncle’s washing machine.

My mother doesn’t have a washer.

The boy’s mother didn’t have a dryer either, but her son’s words provided her with both. The next day, his sixteen-year-old sister came with him to retrieve the appliances. One day, will they tell how God provided during a hard time? My husband and I already have.

Stay tuned for more unexpected, joyful encounters.

God's Faithfulness, Stories I Share

An Unexpected Gathering of Saints PT. 1

I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Issac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 8:11 (ESV)

My Uncle Floyd’s passing allowed me to experience an unexpected, unforgettable gathering of God’s people.

During January 2021, my husband and I flew to Oklahoma to finish a task my brother and I had started—distributing my Uncle Floyd’s possessions. I had inherited quality furniture and expensive medical equipment that would be costly to ship. Therefore, I called the man who drove my uncle to church.

The friend came with his wife, a young boy, his son, who was a deacon, and the son’s wife. They rented a truck and spent Sunday distributing goods among the needy. I urged them to take whatever they personally wanted.

The process lasted the entire afternoon. My husband and I dished ice cream into paper cups and distributed it with pizza we also found in Uncle Floyd’s freezer.  We were quite the lively, happy group of feasting strangers brought together by our relationship with a godly man and bonded together through Jesus.  That Sunday was a glimpse of heaven’s gathering.

Stay tuned for more.