A Knock On the Door

It’s been a long time since I’ve enjoyed writing a post.  On those rare occasions that I cannot sleep, I often feel the Lord impressing on me a story to share.  Tonight, for some reason, it is an old story that I have wanted to write, but never did find the time.

In the Fall of 2002, Mark and I lived in San Diego, California with our two young boys (Pierce – 2 ½; Jaden – 6 months).  Mark worked as an electrical engineer at Intel, and found himself at an interesting crossroads with his career.  When Mark was a bachelor, he put in long hours at work with little consequence.  Once we married, however, and especially after we started having children, the expectations grew to be unreasonable.  Mark’s work/life balance was painfully off-balance, to the tune of being expected to work 80 hours per week.  He began to seek the Lord constantly in prayer regarding the situation, and interestingly, things at work grew to be ridiculously painful.  It became clear to Mark that he was to quit.  Interesting, considering that his goal prior to this season in life was to work his way up the ladder to become a VP at Intel.

In December 2002, we visited friends of ours in Houston.  Knowing that Mark planned to quit in the Spring, they joked that we should move to Houston and purchase a lot in their neighborhood.  They recently built a new home on a golf course, and empty lots lined their street.  This joke held no temptation for Mark, but I actually found the idea rather appealing.  I spoke with him within the next couple of days regarding the many benefits to moving to Houston (cheaper cost of living, living near good friends, support with home schooling, etc.).  He was not impressed… at all.  But he said that he would pray about it, and he was open to my staying a bit longer in Houston to research building a home on a lot.  You could say he was humoring me  : )

Things seemed to fall easily into place regarding the home we would want built in Houston.  When Spring arrived, we had one foot invested in building a home on a lot across the street from our good friends.  It was a low risk to Mark, because pulling out meant little money lost.  He was happy living in our home in a beautiful valley in San Diego.  Moving to Houston still held little appeal, but he was faithful in prayer, asking for confirmation.  He planned to quit in April, as he felt the Lord was leading him clearly in that area, but he had no idea what was around the corner regarding career.  There was no reason – yet – to move.

One Saturday that Spring, Mark lined up a few different realtors to interview them regarding selling our home in San Diego.  Once again, he was just speculating – simply doing his research.  A heavy, closed door regarding moving to Houston would be a great relief to Mark.  But if the Lord knew better, Mark would certainly follow.

Mind you, our home was not on the market.  There was no ‘For Sale’ sign in the yard.  Mark was simply talking with three realtors, one interview lined up after another, at our kitchen table.  During one of the interviews, the realtor shared with Mark a story about a home in our neighborhood.  The home was not for sale, but someone knocked on the door asking to buy it, and the house ended up being sold to them.  In the midst of this story, exactly when the lady said the word “knocked,” there was a knock on our door.  Not the ringing of a door bell.  A knock.  Mark got up, answered the door, and was in shock to hear a man expressing interest in seeing our home -  to possibly purchase it.  Mark motioned to the lady at our kitchen table, to express that he was currently talking with a realtor and would have to get back with him.  The man expressed that he, himself, was a realtor.  He explained that he had a client that may be interested in our home.  And beyond that, he and his wife were interested personally. 

After viewing our home, his client was indeed interested, which irritated his wife because she was interested in our home!  Short story - a contract was signed within three days for them to purchase our home (wife won, client lost!).  No fees, mind you, because he was a realtor and took care of the paperwork himself.  Also, Mark asked that the sale of their home not be contingent, which the realtor had no qualms with.  Mark was blown away.

With little doubt that he was not only to quit his job, but also to move to Houston, Mark willingly went through the motions to move our family to a hot, humid, flat city with plenty of traffic.  Obedient to the promptings God gave us, his nervous stomach didn’t follow suit as easily, and he threw up that first night in our new home in Houston.  He laughs about that now, as we’ve been so incredibly blessed by God’s redirection in our lives.

In the Fall of 2003, fires tore through San Diego, burning down homes in our old area and altering the beautiful views of that valley that we lived in.  Mark pondered the sad timing of that tragedy with awe.  Looking back, we also wonder that if we had stayed in San Diego, Mark most likely would have taken another high-tech job (leading to more work/life imbalance) through connections with friends, rather than start the family business that the Lord led him to in Houston.  Not to mention, we couldn’t have afforded to survive financially in San Diego, with its cost of living, running our family business. 

The Lord works in mysterious ways.  We find that the directions He has us take often look ‘crazy’ to the world.  But if we follow, we find ourselves on a beautiful path.  We’re thankful that He intervened in the details of Mark’s career, which has altered the dynamics of our family dramatically for the better.  We marvel at the confirmations He gave us along the way, including that perfectly timed knock on the door.

A Long Time Comin'

It's time to finally post some pictures!  Here are some snippets since moving last October (can you tell, I can't keep up??)...

The boys made a special anniversary dinner for us in February.  They created the surprise menu themselves and did a fantastic job.  Crawfish etouffee,  hush puppies, old fashioned baked beans, and poached pears - yum!

We were appreciative and look forward to next year's dinner!

Pierce decided to make Jesus his Lord in February.  He put Christ on in baptism... what a wonderful day!

 Pierce wears Ezra.  He's a great helper, and loves his younger brothers and sister (with plenty of conflict, of course!)...

 

Fishing with Paw Paw Schell in Baton Rouge.

During Maw Maw & Paw Paw Miller's visit, Paw Paw helped us build a fence around the garden to keep deer and other critters out.  

There was plenty of fun to be had with Maw Maw Miller out on the street!

 

 

 

A wonderful time was had camping at Mission Tejas in early April with our dear friends Don & Melissa.

We've found that we don't even need to go camping now to come in contact with very large bugs.  Our home on a shady acre is stocked full of creatures!  This one greeted me one morning in the den.  He was about 5 inches across.  Perhaps he is a she, though... that fat body may hold plenty of babies!  Eeeek!

 

 In April, we also got to visit with Maw Maw & Paw Paw Schell as well as my sister & her family at Lake Catherine State Park in Arkansas.  While there, we visited Mark's brother and his family.

In July, Jaden & Elijah went on an RV trip to Estes Park, Colorado with Maw Maw & Paw Paw Schell.  The rest of us flew up to join them for the last week.  We had a great time!

The Cardinal

I realized I never blogged about the cool ways that the Lord was involved in our move.  This has been such a busy, intense time, but I want to pause and tell the story.

So, let’s back up quite a bit.  When we moved to Houston in 2003, we moved across the street from good friends of ours, in a golf course subdivision.  A few years later, our friends ended up moving to Colorado.  Also, the backyard was small and we weren’t allowed to walk on the golf course.  And if our trash can was in the wrong spot, we’d get a letter.  J  We longed for a home on some land in a country setting, so the children could play outside and dig in the dirt.  But the years passed without our pursuing it, as we watched the economy slow down and homes sit in our neighborhood with ‘for sale’ signs in the yards.

Last November (a year ago), Mark and I were blessed to have some prophetic words spoken over us by an older couple that we’d never met before.  They prayed over us and shared four things that they felt the Lord was impressing on them about us.  They were all right on – concerning the baby we were expecting, a ministry the Lord had placed on both of our hearts, an upcoming time of confusion, and about our desire to move.  Regarding that, they said, “we’re getting that you’d like to move to a new home.  Not out of state or anything, but a different home.  You’ve been cautious for a long time.  The Lord wants you to know He’ll be in the details.”  Wow, that was encouraging to hear!  We had been cautious, so it was nice to have that invitation.

That week, I got online and set up a simple search on a real estate site.  Not many homes came across my email, because I made the search pretty specific - over half an acre, one story (or no bedrooms upstairs), etc.  In early March, a home came across that looked interesting.  We called a real estate agent that friends of ours liked, and set an appointment to see the home that weekend.  The night before, I prayed and asked the Lord for a confirmation.  Knowing that we could love the house, but He could have a different home in mind for us, I wanted His guidance.  I hadn’t thought about a specific confirmation, but a cardinal came to my mind when I paused in my prayer.  So I prayed that while we viewed the home, we would see a cardinal if it was the right home for us.  I hadn’t seen a cardinal in two years, and that was when we were out of town on a camping trip. So, that was my fleece (Judges 6).

The next day, we pulled up to the home and I joked with Mark as I got out of the car “let me know if you see a cardinal…” (I hadn’t mentioned my prayer to him yet).  The house was just right as we walked through it.  At one point, I looked out a back window, and a cardinal flew down and landed on a bird bath in the back yard.  I called my son Pierce over to see it, and Mark as well.  I shared my prayer with them – how exciting to have a confirmation!

We weren’t doing things in the typical order – but we hurriedly did months of house projects, decluttering and cleaning in about a week and put our home up for sale.  Knowing that the Lord would be in the details, we figured a sale would be quick and easy.  We decided it'd be best for me to take the children to my parents’ home in Louisiana for a few weeks, to allow the house to stay in order and sell.  How funny to think that things would be quick & easy.  If we’d really thought about it, we’d have known that things may just be very difficult and slow, because that builds character!  Seven stressful months followed, with many house showings, while homeschooling five children and having a new baby.  During that seven months, we faced very difficult times with our business.  Three times stand out in our minds when buying a home looking downright impossible.  By human wisdom, we would have taken the ‘for sale’ sign out of the front yard.  Yet each time, we watched the Lord clear the obstacle.  How sweet to have a confirmation in order to keep us on the path we were on.

All the while, it was amazing that the home we found didn’t sell out from under us.  At one point, the owner (who was also a realtor) found that the agency that sets up showings was denying all showings on the home!  Our realtor joked with her that her clients were really praying about the home, so we had a lot of power on our side.  The other realtor joked back, “well, tell them to stop praying!” 

Eventually we had a reasonable offer from a sweet family that wanted to buy our home, and we were able to close on both homes exactly 7 months after listing our home.  Mark & I are still looking at each other in wonder – we can’t believe we’re here – in the ‘cardinal’ house!  The Lord truly was in the details, and He used the slow, challenging process to build our faith and teach us more dependence on Him.  He is faithful – always.

His Voice

I’ve had a little lesson lately on hearing from Him. For the past several years, I’ve longed to hear His voice more. Part of my ‘baggage’ from the past was boxing the Holy Spirit in… for example, He is the seal of salvation, but He doesn’t ‘speak’ to people or work supernaturally as you’d read about in Acts. My experience has knocked that belief right off the shelf, which is refreshing. Of course, there’s still a growth process – a journey that I’m walking through, learning to experience Him more deeply.

So, a frequent prayer of mine over the years has been to hear from the Lord. There were two events recently that showed me that I am hearing from Him – how encouraging! In late August, a group of ladies came to my house one Thursday night. We spent some time in worship, shared needs and ministered to one another through prayer. For myself, I prayed about my recent struggle with frustration and anger toward the children. The last several months have been so stressful – I’m already in over my head the first year with a new baby. Add to that having our home on the market, business struggles, and other stresses, and WOW! Overload! So, I requested prayers for that, because I don’t like it one bit when I’m raising my voice at my children. I also asked for prayers regarding hearing from the Lord, as that would of course be a comfort during times of stress.

One lady prayed for me, and while she was praying, I thought – “My grace is sufficient for you… my power is made perfect in weakness.”  Then another lady prayed for me, and toward the end, she said that she was getting something for me from the Lord – “My grace is sufficient for you… my power is made perfect in weakness.” Then she said that she was also getting that I’m hearing from the Lord often, but not realizing that it’s Him.

I just had to laugh! What a fun confirmation. First, it was just what I needed to hear regarding my struggle with my children. I’m hard enough on myself – I don’t need ‘training advice’ or more pressure. I need to know that He’s got me covered with His grace, and His power is made perfect in my weakness – my brokenness. At the same time, He showed me that I am hearing from Him, but I assumed that I was hearing my own thoughts. Knowing that He lives inside of me, that only makes sense. The Holy Spirit is in constant communication with me – His truth is constantly poured over me. I realize that as I grow up in Him, I’ll learn to discern more and more what is coming from Him and what is truly from me. For now, I’m just thankful to know that His words are freely poured out on me, encouraging, guiding and teaching me as I go.

Just 6 days after this confirmation came another, if you’d like to read about it!

Keeping focused daily

We've been using a book called "Daily Light on the Daily Path" for daily Bible readings as a family.

I'm really enjoying how it's grouped into morning and evening readings for each day, and how each reading is on a central theme.  Here's a taste:

He who glories, let him glory in the LORD.

1 Corinthians 1:31

Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, let not the mighty man glory in his might, nor let the rich man glory in his riches; but let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD. Jeremiah 9:23-24

I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ. Philippians 3:8  For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes. Romans 1:16  I have reason to glory in Christ Jesus in the things which pertain to God. Romans 15:17

Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You. Psalm 73:25 My heart rejoices in the LORD;… I rejoice in Your salvation. 1 Samuel 2:1

Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but to Your name give glory, because of Your mercy, because of Your truth. Psalm 115:1

Still too busy to blog, but here are more pics!

Ezra playing by the mirror.

Silly Pierce.

Havilah playing dress up.

Elijah "holding up" the nice gal from Candelari's Pizzeria, for our Groupon photo contest entry.

More Pics!

June is here - we can't believe our Ezra will be 6 months old on the 11th.  It seems like he was just born.  We're still plugging away over here with our home on the market.  I look forward to when I get to blog about that whole story, when it's said and done!

Pierce makes a fancy sign - maybe fresh baked cookies will make them want to buy our house, right??

Huh??

Hava enjoys dressing up.  Usually she ends up looking like a princess.  This time, she got into the boys' closet...

Hooray, summer's here in full force!  The forecast shows that we'll hit 100F this week.

Family movie night means white popcorn popped on the stove top and caffeine free Dr. Pepper.  Ezra & Hava lounge on the sofa together...

Peeking through the play tent window

Pierce enjoys painting.  He's been spending a lot of time drawing with his new set of pencils as well.

Jaden working on his painting of a rocket.

Ezra doesn't know how to not smile, it seems.

Jaden's a wonderful big brother.  They all are, really. 

Doing the laundry is more fun when Ezra can sport an underwear hat.  We're easily entertained.

We're missing the bolts for Hava's new (used) toddler bed.  The barriers we put up didn't do the trick.  We found her sleeping like this!