Family update

I guess you could say that I filter our life circumstances before putting them on the blog. This will one day be a baby book for Lily and I want her to see and remember the happy moments of her life. However, I realized recently that this is absurd. Some of the most difficult times in my life have turned out to be some of the best moments. During the trials is when I could sense God's presence and power the most. So, as Lily's mom I want her to see how faithful God was and is and will be in our life and in her life. It is when we are weak that He is strong.

Which brings me to the update on our family - Joe is not working at the Waterfront Rescue Mission anymore and has been looking for a job for some time now. During this time we have been able to spend quality time as a family and Joe has really been able to bond with Lily. So there are some positive things that come out of being unemployed :) With the condition of the job market and the economy right now we felt that we needed to put our property up for sale....just not knowing what God has for us next. So, in the midst of all of this I have been trying to cut our expenses as much as possible. Which brings me to the part of the story of our pets. We tried to find homes for our 2 dogs and cat and we were somewhat successful. Our German Shepherd, Jake, is now living with a sweet family in Atmore, AL. They lost their Shepherd about 4 weeks ago due to old age and they just fell in love with Jake so it worked out well. Our cat Naaman will be leaving on Saturday. A lady in Daphne saw his picture on the bulletin board in the supermarket and said he looks just like her old cat and she just couldn't resist him. And then there's Bluberry....our boxer/weimreiner mix.....she had a bad habit of getting out and going over to the neighbor's house. It wouldn't have been so bad if she was just going for a visit but she was going over to kill their chickens. I'm not much of a country girl so I didn't know that once a dog kills a chicken you can't break them of it. So, we had Blu put to sleep last Monday. As you can imagine this was a very difficult week for me. (and for Joe)

Those are just a few of the things that are going on in our lives right now and it has been a bit stressful. But God. Those 2 words can change everything. One of the scripture texts that God has been using to minister to me is Deuteronomy 8 : "Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD. Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty years. Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the LORD your God disciplines you." As you can see, I feel that the Lord is bringing us to the end of ourselves and humbling us so that He can train us and test our obedience....will we trust Him through this wilderness time? And also in the text you can see that the Lord provided for the children of Israel (feeding them manna which they didn't know what or where it came from) and He is doing the same for us. He is providing for us in miraculous ways. Our family and friends and Church family have been so supportive and loving and encouraging us through this whole process. Thank you all!!

My life verse has also brought much comfort and hope...."He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall remain stable and fixed under the shadow of the Almighty [Whose power no foe can withstand]. I will say of the Lord, He is my Refuge and my Fortress, my God; on Him I lean and rely, and in Him I [confidently] trust!" Psalm 91:1-2

Please keep us in your prayers...we look forward to the wonderful things the Lord has in store for us.