It’s time to recreate and refocus. www.mywordspoken.wordpress.com is where I now live. Find me there.
Coming to PÄS. Come join us for an artful event. December 5th 2009. Presented by Madabella& Co. Registration is now open!
It was a thursday night and I got a text from my friend Meg who told me that Francis Chen is going to be at Azusa Pacific. “Do you want to go?” My first thought was all my house work that had to be done like cleaning, laundry and all the fun stuff that goes with being a mom.
But then it hit me. This is wonderful adventure from God and He wants you to be like a child and go.
So Friday morning came and we got in our car and headed out to Collage. We had a short time when we got lost but then we found it.
We made it to the very last seats up top.
It was no surprise that some of the message was about having child-like faith.
We decided together that we wanted to met Francis Chen and ask him about his book “Crazy Love.”
We were the last two people he talked to that day before he had to head out. I even got my book signed. 2 Tim 4 was what he wrote in my book.
The giddiness of that day still remains with me. We were like kids chasing the warm sun. I felt like a child running up a grassy hill and then rolling down. It days like this that I feel like a child in arms of my Father. I could feel Him smiling because He knows what makes us move.
I have a friend who showed me this song and video. This is how I see the world lately and I believe. I believe for you. I believe.
I really hope to see you there. Life is all about sharing dreams with friends and family.
We will have a box for donations for warm clothes for the people who live on skid row.
…”Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch” Luke 5:4
Everyone has a story, a beautiful story that God is the author of. This is ours at this time in our life.
There are times when I sit and look at what God is doing and I marvel at how amazing He is. I could have in no way ever put together what He is doing on my own.
It was 2004 and we had just sold our house and moved back to Fullerton. That is a story in itself. But God had helped Brian and I get back to Fullerton to the very same place that we were before. We had sold our house and made enough money to pay off all our debts. From this time Brian and I made a promise to live without the help of credit cards. We had decided to live off what God provided and His promise that He will supply our needs. This was the very first scary thing we did. But God has been so faithful to honor that promise for us. He provided every need and even was able to give us time to start a savings.
But it wasn’t easy and it was a very lonely time. We would watch the people around us buy homes and brand new things. We were reminded many times that our life was different and that God had something for us other than purchasing a home. During this time we had to learn to live on a budget and learn to stretch a penny. We had to be without many times. It was a time when everyone else was spending money, and God was telling us to save.
Now times have changed you will hear more and more people talk about living on a budget. It is all over the news on how to stretch a penny, people teaching you on ways to save and ways to cut back. This is what made it so hard, when at the time we were living this way, it wasn’t considered fashionable to live on a budget. It wasn’t every man’s struggle like it is today.
Five wonderful years have gone by still with the promise that we will live credit card debt free. And now, The wonderful hand of God has so graciously orchestrated this very time for Brian and I to open a shop in downtown Fullerton. You may know it as PÄS. So when the rest of the world is saving money, God is leading us to spend money.
So either Brian and I have gone crazy or we are following a wonderful journey of Jesus. I think it’s a little of both:)
But Simon answered and said “Master ,we have toiled all night and caught nothing;… Luke 5:5
This is similar to my out cry to God. “Now, you want us to do it now? You want us to open this shop now? But look around, people like my friends are losing their jobs, the budget is a mess, retail is down, houses aren’t selling, people are afraid. Including me. And you want us do this with out getting a loan. But how?”
A friend told me recently: Don’t look around. Look up!
…nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.” Luke 5:5
As the story goes, they let down the net and caught so many fish that the net broke.
Jesus then tells them, “Do not be afraid from now on you will catch men.” Luke 5:10
By reading this story I don’t put it out there that we will catch so much fish our nets (networth) will break. I just love living in God. I love living in the story He writes for us. I love the adventure He puts us on. I love Him. I love how this story is way better when God gets the Glory. I hope you will join us on this wonderful journey. It is risky, dangerous, thrilling and not at all safe. There are no guarantees that it will work out as we planned. In fact, God’s idea of success usually does not look like ours. Even though I have a hard time surrendering control, I do trust that the Lord has us in His hand. This time I joyfully surrender my control and take hold of the grand adventure that God has in store.
Yesterday was the first day it really felt like fall. Then the sun came out and it got really hot. So we thought it would make for a great fall night at the Fullerton Farmers market. It ’s so nice to live walking distance to it all.
It’s like artwork!
We found a new mural on our walk.
It was a warm wonderful fall evening filled with color and sound!
Hope you have a wonderful Fall weekend!
Last year around this time I asked my mom to make me a blanket for Christmas. She said, yes of course, but I didn’t actually recive my blanket until this past weekend. I love it and knowing that it took almost a year to make, makes it even more special.
Do you own one of those blankets? The kind of blanket that was made by a grandma or mother or maybe a special friend. This is one of those. The kind of blanket that you treasure and you hope that your kids will treasure and hand down to the next generation. I pray that this blanket will warm our family as time goes on.
Thank you mom for this beautiful blanket. I will always think about you and I will always know that I am loved.
Brian and I have had a great time going to garage sales and thrift shops looking for things for the shop. I seem to be picking up things for my friend as well. Isn’t that what life is all about.
I hope she enjoys them as much as I have had finding them!
