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!