Tried With Fire

We successfully moved into our new house and closed on the previous one today. I am thankful for the help of the saints to move our pets, kitchen, cleaning, and computer stuff on Monday. My best friend and her two youngest children cut our grass (.75 acres worth) with a push mower yesterday so the yard would not be shaggy for the new owners. The movers successfully moved everything in 6.5 hours which was less than their original estimate. We had an unexpected plumbing problem discovered at the walk through that was fixed down to the wire but did not hamper the closing. We had more help tonight when folks from the church helped set up the kitchen, hook up the washer and dryer, and put up window shades. Now that we have the phone/internet, kitchen, bedrooms and bathrooms in a usable state, we can take our time with the rest. My daughter was falling asleep on her feet by the end of the day, and I'm pretty tired myself. I did want to share this story which is a testimony to God's a...

The last thing I want to pack is my computer. I 'm beginning to realize how much I rely on the internet and email, so it will be good for me to have a short computer fast. We're moving the pets and other household items today. The movers come tomorrow. We're generally familiar with the area since it is only 3 miles from where we are now. We need to find a good pizzeria, though. Lord willing, I'll be back on a few days. But I'll leave you with this in the meantime: ht: Pure Church

This is our attic. You may not think it is much to look at, but it's a beautiful sight to me because it's empty. A family from church helped bring down the remaining boxes and items in the attic. There were an assortment of books, old papers, and two computer monitors. The monitors were from the olden days when they were about the size of a small developing nation and weighed as much as a pregnant pachyderm. I was at a loss as to what to do with them because most charities will not accept old hardware any longer. Our friends suggested recycling them at Best Buy and offered to take them for us. For which there was much rejoicing! Even though we have a two-story house, my daughter said we have four-stories worth of stuff counting the attic and the basement. I am beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel with the basement as well. Lord willing, we will bid farewell to many things in the basement, furniture, and household items when a local rescue mission comes to take t...

Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is there your heat will be also . Matthew 6:19 This verse came to mind today as we were taking boxes down from the attic. Over the years we have accumulated a lot of stuff. We're doing our best to give away and throw away, but the number of boxes grows and grows. Even though I'm not very sentimental, there are some things I won't part with - my ancient and furless teddy bear, my daughter's first pair of shoes and favorite stuffed animal, my dad's piano music now used by three generations, my mom's cookbook and mixing bowls. These don't have any monetary value, but these are little treasures because of the memories they invoke. I am surprised that I haven't dreaded packing. Perhaps it...

It is a beautiful sunny day. We had summer-like temperatures in the middle of the week, so everything has burst into bloom, leaf, or pollen. I would be outside if I didn't have to pack and shred. There is a thick coat of yellow pollen outside which would have me sneezing constantly, so I have another reason to stay inside. I did venture out to take these pictures. My neighbor's wisteria has begun to creep into our yard. The fragrance is wonderful. This is Carolina sweet shrub. The flowers are an unusual reddish-brown. The fragrance is very sweet (hence the name) and reminds me of juicy fruit gum for some reason. I have been listening to two Welshmen today while packing. In addition to good preaching, I love the accent. First is Martin Downes , author of Risking the Truth . His talk Heresy Never Dies looks at Open Theism and brings it back to its historical root of Socinianism . Having believed some less than orthodox teachings and having people dear to me embracing less th...

God has provided us with a house. It went on the market the very week we got our contract. It's a small brick rancher in great condition with a nice little yard. The house is only one year older than me, so it's not old at all. :-) The neighborhood seems very pleasant and quiet, and it's even closer to the church than where we are currently living. I am in awe of the timing of the events, because everything has unfolded in less than 2 weeks. A dear friend told me that she didn't expect our house to sell until our next home would be available. This house wasn't even on our list of potential homes. We looked at the house next door, which is also for sale, and noticed that this one was vacant. I liked it from the moment we walked through the door. Coincidentally or rather providentially, my realtor and the seller's agent go to the same church. The previous owner was a member of that same Baptist church. It's a small world. It's also nice knowing that we may...

We have a contract. Now the fun begins. The closing is set for the end of April which doesn't give us much time. Today we found a house that looks promising not very far from the church. We are also looking at another part of the peninsula tomorrow. I am grateful for the prayers of the saints, specifically prayers that I will not panic. There are so many details to be worked out that it would be easy to get overwhelmed. The offers of practical help have also moved me to tears and thanks for the body of Christ. And yet our God is more real and faithful than even the best, most trustworthy person. It was such a timely reminder in Sunday's sermon that He is the one to whom we cry. Not as a spoiled prosperity gospel brat, but as a child adopted by grace in dependence and trust. So I may be dropping out of the blogsphere over the next month or so. It's exciting and scary at the same time, but we will wait expectantly for where God will lead us.