The Truth Shall Set Us Free...

Picture this.....  Your husband is in his dream job.  There are some challenges, as it is a challenging job.  And it has some surprise politics involved that you would not normally consider in this line of work.  But, it is what it is.  Our family has relocated almost 2 hours away for this job.  Then, two weeks to the day that your beautiful baby girl was born (adding to the handsome toddler boy you already have), your husband is let go from his job. 

No big deal.  Well, having to move so soon after having a baby sucks.  Making this the second move in 6ish months.  And you are moving back into the house you own, but that is smaller and a totally different set up than the one you had been living in.  Sigh....  At least hubs should be able to get his previous job back.  Not a job he loves.  Not a job he normally even likes.  But yet, a job he is good at and that will pay the bills.  And we have 2 weeks severance and a month long National Guard course he is going to be taking.  There is no reason to panic.

And here we are.  Back in our home, with two children to raise and our home and property that needs some work.  Ray tried to get his job back at the prison, but will not be eligible now until November some time.  Sigh....how did this happen?  How are we going to survive?  Am I going to have to go back to work?  If so, how are we going to handle the cost of childcare? 

Lots of questions still yet to be answered.  We are past that emotional panic reaction and both Ray and I are in action mode.  He is furiously job searching at the moment, as am I.  I am taking stock of the state of our home food pantry and trying to find the best way to sell a lot of the stuff we no longer need.  Our junk.  Our duplicates.  We are also trying to get a handle on this crazy yard.  Seriously....NEVER buy a house that has no real lawn, just garden.  It is more than a full time job just to weed.  And covering it in river rock in no way will help the next owners replace a majority of that garden with grass.  Speaking of which, anyone want some landscaping rock?  We have three varieties for your rock choosing pleasure.

I am not writing about this season of our life because we want charity or pity.  (Although, prayers and good thoughts would be much appreciated)  I am writing this for several other reasons however:

1.  To help me get all these ideas in my brain in order and down on virtual paper.  Organization is the key.
2.  To share with other's what has and has not worked for us while trying to find jobs and hopefully still be able to pay our bills.
3.  To perhaps get some advice from others who have been there and done that, as well as provide this information to other people who may be going through a similar financial situation.
Sharing this information with the public is not easy.  I still have some internal melt down moments; times of panic when I just don't know how we are gonna make it.  And yet, I am moved to action.  If you like, you are welcome, through this blog here, to come along on this journey with us. 

God is in control.  My brain knows that.  But God is not going to drop a job in our laps.  God is not going to transfer money into our checking account so we don't lose our house.  God is not going to pull up in a 2nd car for our family.  Nor fill the gas tank on the car we already have.  What God has done however is given us a lot of tools and resources to help us make it through this, hopefully short, challenge for our family.  So while my posts may seem a bit disjointed and have no real theme to them as a whole, they are all from this point on to the foreseeable future about all the ways we are getting it done.

The World Does Not Revolve Around Sharon

Picture this.... It is 8:00 am on Sunday morning. Most people are sleeping, but not you. You wake up, take a shower, throw down some fast breakfast and go to....CHURCH? You walk in, feel joy as you enter a beautiful sanctuary and see friendly and familiar faces. You hug and laugh and even on a rare occasion, cry. It is wonderful. Then you pick up the bulletin.

Introit ... call to worship .... hymn .... passing the peace .... announcements ..... prayer .... hymn .... psalter ..... offertory .... doxology ..... sermon .... hymn .... benediction .... hymmmnnnn ...... hyzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.....................

Oh, it's over? You ask yourself, was I really drooling? Shew, my hour this week is done. Score!

I grew up in a Methodist church which held VERY liturgical worship services. What I termed, BORING snooze fest; only good for playing games, writing notes to your neighbor or thinking about what you plan to do for the rest of the day. And, as time went on, I really grew to hate them. So much so that when I eventually left that church, I went to a non-denominational contemporary mega church. And, I loved it. LOVED IT! The freedom to try new things and not get stuck in a silly routine which only made sense to people from 200 years ago did not appeal to me. And drums! Drums in church!!!! Rock on!

But, as is known to happen when we belong to God, He often has other plans for us. Not only did God move me from that church, He moved me from that time zone. I now find myself married to a wonderful man of God, who on August 1st will be starting a brand new career as a pastor in the United Methodist Church. A long awaited career that has been over 15 years in the making. And, have you guessed it, his (and the churches) first preference for worship? Liturgical. Ugh. Are you KIDDING me God?

This morning, I felt convicted during worship. Here I am, pouting and throwing an inward temper tantrum because I don't enjoy this particular style of worship. And with that, I am missing the point about corporate worship in general. It isn't about Sharon. It isn't about any specific style of music or how prayers or said or what specific songs are played nor on what instruments. It is about coming together to worship and praise God as a community. It is ALL about God, and only God.

So, will I enjoy liturgical services from this point on? Probably not. But it does not matter. I will worship with joy and thanksgiving anyhow. Period. Why bother? Because being a born again Christian requires discipline and is a reminder that Earth simply does not revolve around me. And like I think most of us, that is a wise reminder and kick we often need as human beings.

Happy New Year!!!!

I don't know about you, but the ringing in of the new year always makes me look back on the year ending and forward to the year ahead.

This past year has been a whirlwind! Getting settled into our new home, church and town. Getting pregnant and all the fun and not so fun stuff that goes along with that. Giving birth in a manner I had hoped I wouldn't have to. Recovering from the c-section and starting life with a new member of the family. While I never really ever wanted to experience pregnancy, I do love this little man very much. He was worth it. It is weird how he is a wiggle over two months old and yet it seems like he has been with us and a part of us forever. What a huge blessing!

Next year will be bitter sweet. As Derrek grows and learns and explores, Ray will be preparing to deploy to Iraq with his National Guard unit. Sometime in spring is when they expect to head out. With that, Derrek and I plan to spend some time back home in Maryland.

While it saddens me that Ray will be away, I'm grateful for his sacrifice. Yes, I'll be alone with Derrek and without much family close by, but Ray will not get the privilege to see Derrek grow and change every single day. We are going to have to be creative with keeping in touch. Hopefully, while difficult, the experience will bring us closer together as a family in the long run. It certainly has made us appreciate this time together before the deployment. We take no day for granted.

Now, if you look back at the first few posts of this blog, you will see that I did a month long experiment called "Surprise Me, God." It is based on a book by that name. This dude woke up every morning for a month and his only prayer was, "Surprise Me, God." The book itself is his journal of what happened. I really enjoyed it the first time I did it and I really do think the new year is a good time to do it again. While I did complete that month long experiment, I didn't journal or blog the whole thing. This time I intend to blog each day for a month my experiences.

Happy New Year To Everyone!!!!!!!!!!!! God bless you all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!