The Character of God

(Note: This is a long one, so don't start unless you've got a few minutes :)

This has been a very difficult past couple of weeks for me. I have emotionally, mentally, and physically felt the attack of the enemy. Thoughts of doubt and confusion have consistently crept into my thoughts - I have been afraid to voice this to my friends, and at times to my own wife because of fear that it will confirm the doubts and confusion. This has created a since of despair and at times discouragement. At times I have even questioned the character of God.

I hesitate even now to write this knowing that many may question me or our ministry, but one of the decisions I made when I started blogging was to be transparent - we aren't as effective as we can be if we aren't transparent with one another as believers. I have had a lot of questions - the lack of answers has created the discouragement (completely un-Biblical by the way).

All of them are questions for God:

1. Why have you not moved on our house? Why is it not sold?

2. Why have you not found someone for our dog?

3. Why did we have to borrow money for the RV? (my Dad partially answered this the other day - thanks Dad)

4. Why is this all so hard?

All of these questions, without any definite answers, equals anger with God (especially when we have a shaky foundation of what the true character of God is). Ultimately I have asked "you know our hearts, we desperately want to follow you, why aren't you answering these questions? Why aren't you paving the way?"

The evil one had me right where he wanted me - discouraged, ineffective. Then I picked up a book that I read a year ago or so - The Barbarian Way by Erwin McManus (If you plan to read it, just stop here . . . . . I plan to paraphrase so much that it might ruin it for you).

My understanding of the character of God had been civilized. We have this incorrect understanding of Christianity that tells us that when we accept Jesus our life becomes easier. Things start to fall together, God begins to move and you see it reflected in the easiness of life (and I'm not just talking about the prosperity doctrine, even though that is a major misconception of the character of God).

McManus uses the example of John the Baptist (my favorite person in the Bible - except Jesus of course!). While in prison, John sends his disciples to ask Jesus if he was "the one." The question is then raised, why would John the Baptist question the deity of Jesus at this time? When they met each other for the first time, in their mother's wombs, John leapt for joy. When John saw Jesus coming to be baptized by him, at first he refused, saying (my paraphrase) "why would I baptize you, you are the chosen one, you are God." Then, after baptizing him, John saw the Spirit of the Lord descend on him like lightening. I'm pretty sure this was all confirming to him. Why then would John question that Jesus was "the one"? Well, first off, he was in prison and preparing to get his head chopped off and served on a platter to Herod, so anyone's confidence would be slightly shaken. John must have been sitting in prison waiting for the jail doors to swing open, or for another dimension to open up a hole in the side of the prison walls to allow him to just walk out. He must have been thinking "OK Jesus, if you are "the one" now is the time to show up, now is the time to work."

Jesus answers John's question by telling his disciples, "Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me." (Matthew 11:4-6) Basically, Jesus was telling John "look, you know who I am, but I'm not coming through for you, I'm not busting you out of prison."

This shakes the common understanding of the character of God. Is Jesus telling us "look I'm not coming through for you, this journey is going to be tough, you may not get enough support, you may break down, you may even be in danger, but I'm still who I am, and I'm still with you." Most people, including myself to a certain extent, would say that if the house doesn't sell, and the road is tough, that God is telling us not to go. This is not the character of God.

Many disciples have chosen this path, many have walked it with great "success." Hebrews 11 is the Hall of Fame of faith. The life these individuals chose is what McManus calls "the Barbarian Way." The passage cites people such as Abel, Enoch, Abraham and Sarah. Jacob, Moses, and Joseph, eventually the author says that he doesn't have enough time to write about them all.

This is where it gets interesting.

"Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection. Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground. These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect." (Hebrews 11:35-40)

The author doesn't even name these men and women - probably too many to count. God is not telling us to stop pressing in, to stop driving forward if we meet resistance, believing the lie that if it is tough God must be telling us no. The character of God tells us to listen to His voice, hear your calling and then wildly chase after that call - that, is the barbarian way.

Please keep praying for me - as many of you know, my writing is me processing - nothing I ever write has been completely processed, I need the Lord to continue to show me His character, continue to show me that He loves me, and continue to prove to me that we are in His will.

Map of our journey

Boise, ID - June 16th - June 28th
Spokane, WA - June 29th - July 9th
Kelowna, BC - July 10th - July 13th
Calgary, AB - July 13th - July 23rd
Break - Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks
Denver, CO - August 3rd - August 18th
Kansas City, MO - August 19th - September 3rd

Single click on the links below to see the estimated time spent in each city, as well as different organizations and churches we plan to connect with.


View Larger Map

girls weekend

This weekend was good. Sometimes the grown up, boring part of me takes over the foot-loose and fancy free part of me. I just need to give myself a noogie on the head sometimes.
Ally and I had a special girls weekend just her and I. Andy took Avery and the new rig over to the beach with some buddies and Eva spent the weekend with Nana and Papa (my parents).

So I made the weekend free and took Ally out on the town, doing her favorite things:

We painted. (at one of those paint-your-own-pottery places)
We ate donuts. (at the Lake Oswego farmers market)
We pet almost every doggie we saw. (had the "we don't pet dogs unless we ask the owners first" talk)
We got some bento for lunch.
Ate our bento at the park.
She showed me all of her fancy tricks on the play structure.
We ventured over to Tim and Jenn's. (they are officially out of their house and in Tim's parents!)
Ally swam. (with her best friend Abbey at their fabulous neighborhood pool!)
Ate ice cream sandwiches with best friend Abbey.
Went home and Ally crashed out in the car.
5:30pm rolls around and Ally is still asleep, so I jostle, tickle, swing her around for a good half hour to rouse her from slumber.
We eat mac and cheese.
Ally bounced on our neighbor's big bouncy party thing. (they just happened to be having a party that night and I joined for a little bit just so Ally could bounce :)
Ally takes a good splashy bath.
We snuggle up on the couch to watch Lady and the Tramp. (classic!)
We drag ourselves to mommy and daddy's bed to have a slumber party.
Both of us are out for the count by 9:30pm!
Whew!
Today was a little slower but filled with good stuff too!
Tea party after church.
Made a big honkin' fort.
Played "save the puppy" and kicked some bad guys butts for a while.
Colored. (in our fort)
Watched Dumbo.
And then Eva Diva came back home!

Ally wasn't quite ready to share mommy again but reality does have it's quirks- I think she realized she missed her little sis.
I was so glad to have a chance to fill up my Ally-gator's love bucket a little. She was needing it. I was needing it too. Over the weekend she said to me, "This is so great mommy- just you and me." I love that. I think my love-bucket was filled too.
Note: This post is not a bit on what a great mommy I am. I, unfortunately have not been happy, happy, fun-time mommy lately. And I just needed to get this down for memory's and grandparents sake.
Of course I forgot to bring the camera when we were out on the town yesterday but I got a few pics of today.

Ally crossing her eyes. She does this at random moments- often when I'm trying to tell her something serious.

Drum roll please......

Here it is folks!! We have officially become motor home owners! Praise the Lord! He has answered our prayers and blessed us with this beautiful beast!
For those of you wanting to know details it is a 1993 Holiday Rambler Imperial. Priced at a whopping $23,000! Diesel pusher. Ninety-some thousand miles on it with a Cummins engine (I guess this is the best kind). And it purrs like a kitten. :) Thank you Kent! (He was the previous owner.) By the way, this is not the one we were looking at in Denver- that one turned out to be a lemon, needed new transmission and new engine basically. Thank you Lord for protecting us!
Other than that I don't really know much about it- you can ask the Andy-man about it. All I know is that it is bigger than the last one we were looking at, it has nice front seats that are comfy and squishy, and it's very clean! There some things we will need to change around to make it livable for a family of 5 but for the most part it is ready to go. The only thing that needs to happen is to convert it to vegetable oil. The prices on fuel these days could be quite a blow at almost $175 per fill up. Free sounds much nicer. We are looking into a couple places here in Oregon that convert- looks like it could be anywhere from 3-5000 big ones. In the end, we will be saving money and also doing our part for God's creation.
Hmm...I'm not used to doing very informative blog entries, but this one is turning out to be. Just thought all of you out there would want to know some of the details going into this big rig.
Honestly, its a little weird now that things are really rolling. I sat down in the "living room" and thought, 'This is going to be our home. Wow.'
It looks like we have a pretty good lead on a family coming out to meet our dog to potentially adopt him. We're meeting them tomorrow evening!
And we're waiting to hear from the guy who has been going back and forth with us on leasing-to-own our home.
God's timing. Still singing the snail song.
God, you are so good to give us everything that we need and even more!

Patience is an Action

You know that song from long ago (the 80's) from the children's Christian music, The Music Machine, that goes:

"Have patience, have patience, don't be in such a hurry, when you get impatient you'll only start to worry......"
I think a snail sings it in The Music Machine.
I guess I'm the snail now 'cuz I've been singing it to myself for quite a while. And the Lord keeps saying, "Wait. Listen."
So this is why I say patience is an action- because it takes serious Spirit muscles to step into this patience. And while the muscles are being stretched and strengthened it hurts and is uncomfortable. It takes a LOT of talking with God- out loud, in the shower, doing dishes, etc, etc. Sometimes I have to literally stop what I'm doing and get on my knees because I feel anxiety start to creep in.
It is an action because God is an action God- always moving, always working, always being. Patience is of the fruit of the Spirit and the Spirit is always pulling us toward action. But until now, I've never thought of patience being an action. I just pictured someone standing in line, sitting still, you know what I mean. But if I just stood here, waiting, sitting still, I would grow impatient because impatience comes from my flesh.
Nothing has become "official" yet with our house, rv, our dog, and many other things. But I am holding on to the certainty of God, not the uncertainty of this world. I pray for endurance and strength to keep pursuing the patience and peace that passes all understanding.
It's just a taste of what is to come, I know. He's got me in a comfortable setting to learn these first little bits so He can send us off into the reality of this journey. The reality of actually leaving our home, the reality of not knowing where our next dollar will come from, the reality of seeing the streets of the U.S., the reality of living in community, and on and on.
He is teaching me that patience is an action. He is teaching me how to use my shield of faith! And I praise God for how my heart is wanting more! I have tasted and seen, now there is no going back.
And for now, at this moment, I will be the snail who sings.

We have an RV (almost)!

This is the model we are looking at - Safari Trek Pathmaker 3060 (diesel)

We are getting closer and closer to our departure date of June 16^th. We have felt the Lord wrap his love around us and give us an assurance that this is in His will and is truly His calling for the next step in our walk with Him. We have been encouraged by the support of family and friends, and are excited about bringing everyone else along with us in prayer and in spirit.

To be really honest, this has been very difficult for both Serenity and I. Selling our stuff has been tougher on us than we had first expected. We have both had our own hang-ups with certain possessions, but ultimately, the Lord has reminded us that our storehouse is in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy. Our downward spiral has helped us realize that we are just as broken as the guys we are going to serve.

We have been on this journey for more than a year now and we are to the point where we are sick of talking about it, we just want to go! We fully understand that the Lord has had us in a holding pattern for many reasons – it has brought us closer together as a family and specifically as husband and wife, it has allowed us to grow closer to him through relying on Him and truly trusting that He is sovereign and He loves us, even when things aren’t working out like we’ve planned.

Many of you have asked for specific financial needs, well, here is a big one: we are currently looking at a motor home for around $20,000. Not including Isaiah's Stump support monies, we have saved up around $8,000 over the past year (our kids have officially netted us $3,900 from the federal government – tax breaks and the economic stimulus package – way to go Avery, Ally and Eva!) - now all we need is another $12K.

I was reading the other day about this Christian guy who ran a boys home for refugees in Palestine and how he didn’t like to send out support letters – I’m not sure if I totally agree with that, there is something humbling and purifying to the spirit when you are able to tell the body of believers – look, we can’t do this on our own, we need you to step up and help us do Kingdom work – something that glorifies God and points to Him as the only one who can stir up someone’s heart to help with support.

If you have been waiting or wondering what exactly we need, there you have it, I pray that this letter unifies support for our ministry and that we allow God to work in our hearts to achieve His glory and His honor – AMEN!

On the homefront

I wanted to make sure you all knew things are still as "normal" as they always are here at the Coulombe house! Here's a few updates:
As you can see, Avery-man has lost his first tooth!!! He is quite impressed with himself. I noticed he had a loose tooth while I helped him brush his teeth the other night, Andy told Avery to push on it a little and out it came! I hope all of them are that easy!
Ally and Eva are as wild as ever, jumping off everything and tackling each other as often as they can. Sometimes I wonder how Eva is still alive, that girl is fearless!
And at the moment our garage is a complete wreck as we prepare for the BIG moving sale we are having this weekend! Woohoo!
I am particularly exhausted and drained at this point in the game. Having our house up on the market, getting ready for a garage sale, trying to do home school with Avery, saying goodbye to loved ones, trying to keep up with laundry and chores, running after a crazy, almost-2 yr old, and praying that His Spirit would cover my ability to be a wife and mother has literally shown me I HAVE to have time for Him. My flesh is very tired, but I can feel His Spirit filling me constantly.
God, I want more of You. Fill me to overflowing. Thank you Lord for the Life you have given me! And thank you for the family you have blessed me with!

My Serenity

I know that Proverbs 31 is a lot to live up to, but my beautiful wife, even though she won't admit it, is as close as any woman I have ever met. Ultimately, her greatest attribute is that she chases after Jesus.

Let's dissect this passage:


v. 11 - The heart of her husband safely trusts her; So he will have no lack of gain.

I have never trusted someone as much as her, she loves me unconditionally and that allows me to freely love her. She told me yesterday that she would "follow me anywhere," which makes my heart leap because I know she means it and I don't have to fight the feeling that she may leave me or undermine me.

v. 12 - She does him good and not evil All the days of her life.

She is always looking to do good for me, she is considerate and loving - never evil.

v. 20 - She extends her hand to the poor, Yes, she reaches out her hands to the needy.

Obviously this is one of her passions, and she has become a better wife and mother because of it (as well as grown closer to Jesus).

v. 26 - She opens her mouth with wisdom, And on her tongue is the law of kindness.

She is my anchor, my helpmate, she gives me insight and wisdom, she calms me when I'm angry and gives me understanding when I don't see.


v. 28 - Her children rise up and call her blessed; Her husband also. . .

Although they don't always show it, Avery, Ally and Eva love her deeply and every day that will grow.

v. 30 - Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, But a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised.

(although unbelievably beautiful and always will be in my eyes, I will save the Song of Solomon blog post for just me, go read it though and you will get a taste of what I think of her beauty - especially chapter 4 ;). My wife fears the LORD. Her testimony (which is actually His testimony in her) reflects her love for Jesus.

Who can find a virtuous wife? I see her every day - thank you Babers for loving me, loving our children, and most of all, for loving and chasing Jesus! Happy Mother's Day!

Estate Sale!

In an attempt to raise some support and get rid of our stuff at the same time, we are having an "estate sale" of sorts. Attached is a link and slideshow of some of the items we have for sale, there are also many, many things that are not pictured. Instead of pricing everything we will have a donation jar you can fill to help Mustard Seed Ministries get a running start! Really, we have a hard time pricing things because almost everything in this house has been given to us! So please don’t feel like we have an "expectation" on prices. Email us at the link above if you want to come and look at something. We will be having a garage sale this coming weekend (May 16th and 17th) so if you want the good stuff before it is picked through, let us know, then come pick it up!

Spreading like yeast

I find it interesting that Jesus uses yeast in His parables twice, representing two completely different things. First, Jesus uses yeast to symbolize His kingdom: "The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough." Matthew 13:31-32

A small amount of yeast can slowly infiltrate the entire "large amount" of dough. Which is like the kingdom of heaven (which He calls us to NOW, not just in heaven). His kingdom gradually, relentlessly, and unceasingly continues to move towards completion. All of this, He equates to something as small and seemingly insignificant as yeast.

He also speaks about yeast in another parable, the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees. On a side note, this is one passage that is hilarious to me. Jesus says, "be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees," and the disciples begin to worry that Jesus was upset at them because they forgot to bring bread. I can imagine Peter blaming the others, "See Matthew, I told you to bring the bread," and I can picture Jesus shaking His head wondering why the disciples were such idiots. Then Jesus says, "How is it you don't understand that I was not talking to you about bread? But be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees." Then they understood that he was not telling them to guard against the yeast used in bread, but against the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees. Like most of His parables, the disciples voice a collective "ahhhhhhaaa."

The yeast of the Pharisees and the Sadducees was just as gradual, and just as relentless, and ultimately could infect the entire ball of dough. More than just the "teaching" of the religious leaders, I believe the "yeast" represented the self-righteous mind-set that many of us can quickly acquire when we have some sort of epiphany or have gained a better understanding of who God is. Most of the time, this understanding is pure and simple knowledge that can quickly turn to a clique of sorts. Jesus says to be on guard against this. If we are truly chasing after God, then we are going to have a lot of these epiphanies. We may see a better way to meet together and worship God, we may attain a better grasp of the Holy Spirit, we may understand our own personal calling and feel deeply connected to God because of it (like wanting to sell your possessions and buy an RV to travel around the country). All of these things however can cause divisions between believers if we are not "on our guard." Whenever God reveals something to us we must first be humble, we must be accepting of those who disagree, or who don't understand. If not, we create a clique of people who think and believe just like we do.

Let me be completely transparent here: I have struggled with "being filled with the Holy Spirit." I have asked God to fill me with His Spirit, others have prayed the exact same prayer, no shaking, no deeper understanding, no healing, no casting out demons. In Jesus' name, I have tried, but that is for another blog post. I have felt out of place amongst certain friends because I'm not a part of "The Holy Spirit Club." I am confident that His spirit is inside of me, and that the fruits that He guarantees in Galatians overflow from my life, but I'm just not quite part of the clique, I don't have, as Robert Duval's character in The Apostle says, "Holy Ghost power!" I hope many of you out there don't hold this against me.

My prayer is that this journey we are on is done through humility and understanding, one that tears down walls rather than build them up. We will come across (and already have) people who don't agree with us, even people who love the Lord - God calls us to love them anyway, God calls us to accept them anyway, not create a clique that separates ourselves from them. I pray that the yeast of self-righteousness is burnt up and destroyed, something only the fruit of the Spirit can do.

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control." Galatians 5:22-23

Kinda crazy

So, we're pondering the idea that we may not have our house sold, we may not have an RV, and we may still have a dog by the time June 16th rolls around. And the question comes, "so do we still go?"
For a variety of reasons my flesh wants to say "no" to that question. But I am starting to see that God doesn't necessarily speak through the things of this world. He can, because He can do anything. But I am understanding more that He speaks through His Spirit, to our hearts and minds. He has called us to go whether our house sells or not. He can and will make a way. If anything, we will drive across the US in our van, setting up camp where we can and finding fellow believers to take us in. Heck, he sent the disciples out two by two with nothing more then their clothes on their backs and maybe food for the next meal. I'm not saying He is asking the same for us. What I am saying is that we can't let the things of this world stop us from obeying the call God has on our lives. The things of this world will try to stop us and unfortunately, has stopped many.
Staying until our house sells sounds very logical and safe, as a mother of 3. But does He always call us to do safe and logical things? Something in my spirit feels at peace with placing our family, this call to life change, my small children, and all the little details into my Fathers' hands. He is calling each and everyone one of His children into deep relationship with Him, trusting Him, and being certain in the things we do not see.
Well, my faith is being stretched, to say the least. But until God places a brick wall up around me, I will continue to follow the direction He is leading us. I will NOT allow the prince of this world to sway me! At this moment, I feel safe stepping into darkness because I am following the Light.
Lord, give us eyes to see, ears to hear, and hearts to follow even when our "plans" fail. Give us more revelation of Jesus who lives in us and the Kingdom that we are called to live out here on earth. And most importantly, give us courage and strength to deny our flesh and take up our cross for Your sake. AMEN!!

That Guy

My wife found a really cool new (to us) musician named Andy Gullahorn. I know not all of you may like folk music, but this guy is an amazing lyricist. He can pull you into his story whether the song is meant to be funny, like More of a Man a song about how he now is a father and husband who watches Dora the Explorer, The Gilmore Girls and his cholesterol, when in his youth he went hunting, bucked hay, and ate chicken fried steak, or when he is singing about how much he loves his wife (Give it Time).

He then changes it up and sings about losing a child at birth in How Precious Life Is. He is a father of 3, and many of his songs speak to me as a father - simple lyrics, but they tell truth, and a truth that cuts to the heart.

In Holy Ground he sings about a group of homeless men and women that begin to sleep in an abandoned church (reminiscent of the story Shane Claiborne tells of St. Edwards in Philly). When the priest comes to kick them out, he is won over by their love, and understands that the church is a place for the poor, the broken -- the priest decides to stay with them.

Probably the most impacting lyrics come from the song That Guy. This song gives me a better understanding of God - seriously! I didn't know a song could do that, but I can't do it justice, so listen to it yourself:

That Guy by Andy Gullahorn

He scoped out the market
All the women and kids
With so many distractions
Nobody noticed him
Nobody noticed him
He had a jacket a size too big
A skullcap on his head
And a couple of homemade bombs
He duct taped them to his chest
He taped them to his chest

God loves that guy
God loves that guy

He followed his heart
To a co-worker’s bed
He could have salvaged his marriage with kids
But he chose to leave instead
He chose to leave
He thought it was love
But it was just a mirage
So he sits in his idling car
Parked in a closed garage
Inside a closed garage

God loves that guy
God loves that guy

Me on the other hand I can write somebody off
Like the last check for a student loan
I can love when it’s convenient
But it’s not always convenient
It’s not always the easy road
I want to look past the outside to the well-meaning heart
To the good they forgot that they had
Teach me to love, teach me to love
Teach me to love like that

He messed up again
Wanted to disappear
But he can’t ‘cause he’s easy to find
I see him in the mirror
I see him in the mirror

God loves that guy
God loves that guy
Teach me to love, teach me to love
Teach me to love like that
Love like that

I don't know if any of you have ever experienced this, but this is more than just worship music, I feel like I am closer to God when I listen and internalize these words. I feel like I can be a better father, a better husband, like I understand some deeper truth when I listen. I know, that might sound far fetched, but I hear the Lord speak to me nearly every time I listen to his words.

Let's fight!

You thought I was going to spill the beans again and give you the juice on Andy and I, huh? Nope.
I AM going to share how I have felt the call to fight though.
During the last week Satan has kicked it up a knotch, doing what he can to discourage and condemn. Honestly, it has been a bit of a rough week but it has also been a victorious week! I am thankful to have friends and family praying on our behalf, and more than thankful to have the Holy Spirit in my heart realigning me when I get off course.
I'm reading The Nature of God by Graham Cooke and wanted to share a portion with you all because this is what I am learning.....
"When God is cemented at the fore of our hearts, we see our relationship deepen in ways we never thought possible. There is a place in the Holy Spirit set aside for every one of us where we can make the enemy tired, depressed, weary, confused, and exasperated. It's a place where our relationship with God has a profound effect on the enemy and the people we live amongst. What we think about God can shatter the hold of darkness on our friends and family. Our intimacy with God should be our most intimidating weapon against the enemy. We have all seen people trying to operate in authority when they just don't have it- it's painful to see. As well-trained charismatic Christians, we think getting louder is how we should try and take authority. But our authority comes out of who we are in Christ, and our capacity to intimidate the enemy comes out of our intimacy with God."
Wow. Our authority comes out of who we are in Christ.
You see, somehow my heart and mind had started setting itself on June 16th. And just recently the possibility that this date is uncertain (which it always has been :)) has sort of caught me off guard, causing me to freak out a little. This date has been my security, as odd as it sounds- something to hold onto in the midst of changing our life completely. With the house not selling, nobody offering to adopt our dog, and no RV in sight with a month and a half left to go till June 16, the enemy has had a hay day with my mind. No, I am not completely losing it, but the Peace of God got dim for about a week and worry and anxiety started to camp out.
So, here we go again.
But this time God gave me a new perspective. This is not about me AT ALL. It's about Satan trying to get at God, by aiming arrows at us. We are in between the two. But again, it is our Savior who steps in and takes it for us. And our authority comes out of who we are in Christ. Our Father who is in complete control and stands over Satan has sent His Son to come and intervene those arrows that are aimed at us. We can either take the arrows ourselves and get knocked down or we can acknowledge Christ who lives in us to take the arrows for us so He can throw them back at the enemy.
So, my prayers lately have not been on the house, the dog, or the RV. They have been focused on asking for more revelation of Christ in me. God can figure out the rest and I have peace in that.

Herman's Mustard Seed

Check out this experiment: What can one dollar really do?

This is the way we must begin to think - creatively finding ways to voluntarily redistribute to "the least of these." Spreading the love, spreading the mustard seeds.