Soaking up more blessings

As promised, we are still finding ourselves immersed with blessings after a very trying time. You know that verse in Malachi about not having room to store them? Yep, it's happening again. I am overwhelmed with gratitude.

For the last several months, both the fridge and the freezer (and the pantry) ended up empty by Friday evening. Like, literally empty. Everybody had to scrounge around for crumbs for breakfast on Saturday morning while I went to the grocery store to restock for the week.

It's now Sunday afternoon, I haven't made it to the store yet this weekend, but the fridge and freezer still have quite a bit of food in them, and the pantry is overflowing.  Every day we still find little goodies from our friends who moved away and gave us their fridge and all the food they had left before moving.

Another friend dropped by the house during the day on Thursday and left a bag of clothes for me and two big giant bags of macaroni. Now I've got cute new shirts to wear every day for the next two weeks!

Mike finally got all the clearance necessary to drive the company truck for work, which he uses to drive to and from work now. A brand-new truck that makes it tight to park all three vehicles in front. (Not complaining). Just in time, too, because something else went out on his own truck, making it un-driveable until he can get the part to fix it. A situation that could have made tomorrow morning extra stressful if he didn't already have the company truck here to drive on Monday morning.

God is so good. And we are so grateful.

I love how the boys are watching and learning more about God through these trials over the last two summers. On Thursday evening, Juan David said, "See, Mom. We just had to wait on God. You were so stressed out, and now Dad has a job, we have a new fridge, we've got plenty of food, and you even have new clothes,"

Waiting on God can be excruciatingly hard some times, but it's always worth it.  Mike loves his new job so much, even to the point of saying, "I'm so glad God closed all those other doors and that I didn't end up taking any of those other jobs I applied and interviewed for."  This particular job holds more blessing and potential than anything else he even looked at or considered himself qualified for.

Yes, Juan David. We just had to wait on God's perfect timing. I'm sorry for the stress I wore all over my face as the months dragged on. I hope what you learned about God's character in this situation will help you face your own trials the right way.

Putting the hat back on

I've officially put my "Soccer Mom" hat back on for the 2015 Fall Soccer Season. And with Mike working long hours here at the beginning with his new job, their soccer schedules are spreading me a bit thinner than normal. Thus, there may not be near as many blog posts as before. But I will try my best to update my blog on the weekends.

Thankfully, for the most part, I enjoy this role (except when I've had a long day and am tired). During David's practices, I walk with another one of the moms that I have known for several years. During Juan David's practices, I get to hang out with David and do different stuff than we would at home. During the games, I get to take pictures and thank God that I have two healthy, active boys that are passionate about the same thing. Both games make me teary-eyed. David's bring tears to my eyes because I realize how much he's grown and how long his legs are now. Juan David's games bring tears to my eyes because I'm just so thankful to be his mom.

See what I mean about those long legs?

Oh, and I forgot to mention that David decided to give football a try, too, so he is playing football for his school soccer team. Here's a pic of his first game. He is playing Running back and Starting Kick Return (whatever those mean-- Lol.).

Doubly blessed

About a month after Mike lost his last job, one of our close friends lost his job, too. Both of our families struggled through the summer months, not always knowing how certain bills would get paid, not able to spend money on vacations, and frustrated at how long the job search seemed to take. We also watched simultaneously as God provided for both of our families in very similar ways, which led us to grow even closer as friends.

Mike finally got offered the job at Goodyear within days of our friend getting offered a job in Maryland. Though sad to see them leave, we are so excited to see how God also worked out so many details in their favor and very obviously orchestrated a move for them out East.

The night before they left, just as their house officially sold, they gave us their refrigerator (much bigger, better, and nicer than the one we had). What we didn't expect was all the good, healthy food it came stocked with! :)

Not only did we get a new fridge, but it helped us save money on groceries as we still wait on Mike's first paycheck. Doubly blessed.

Showers of blessing

God did it for us again. After a big loss and four and a half long months of not knowing what lie ahead for us financially, we have finally arrived to the blessings that, of course, exceeded all of our expectations.

Mike started working this past week as a Commercial Tire Sales Representative for Goodyear Tire. If you knew Mike 20 years ago. you'd know just how much knowledge and experience he already carries in this field. We listed his experience in the tire field on his resume, but since he's been working in the maintenance field for the last 12 years, that's the main area of employment he was looking for.

Then, out of the blue, Goodyear Tire noticed his resume on a job website, contacted him, and asked him to apply for their Tire Sales position at a new store that just opened this summer. He did, and they interviewed him and offered him the job that very day! (We then had to work through several gliches that kept delaying his start date, but he finally started to work this week). In addition to being employed in a field he's already good at, the pay is better than anything else he had even applied for!

(Here's an excerpt from a story I recently wrote about it:

Give him a story

After four months of my husband’s unemployment, each day drug on with no end in sight. I had no idea how long it could take to find a simple job. By now, he was ready to apply for anything, no matter how little income it brought in.

                “If it gets you insurance and pays more than $0, we’re still ahead of where we are now.” I know it wasn’t the most encouraging thing I could have said to my husband, but we’d come to a point of having to face reality.

                When unemployment hit our home, we arrogantly assumed another job would come quickly and easily. After the first month, I began to pray specifically for Mike’s next job, and I thanked God daily for the answer still to come.

                “Bless the work of my husband’s hands. May the job You provide him fulfill him and earn him respect quickly. Let it be close to home and provide enough to cover our current living expenses plus two upcoming needs over the next year. But, God, more than anything, may the job You provide him come with a story, proving that it came from You alone.”

Now four months later, after spending hours upon end filling out applications online, using up tank after tank of gas driving to countless interviews, and meeting up with random people all over the area to give them a resume, he still came home each night without a job.

                “Yes, your resume looks good. But there are still 30 applicants ahead of you for this position.”

                “You’ve got a lot of great experience, but we need someone with this specific certification that you don’t have.”

                “You are a bit overqualified.”

                “You’re highly qualified, but we can’t hire another person for this position right now.”

                “We really like you. If we don’t find someone else more qualified, we’ll give you a call.”

                “You’re in our top five out of all 75 applicants.”

                Yet day after day passed, and the phone didn’t ring.

                I questioned God. Why wouldn’t he just give Mike a job?

I know He provided enough to sustain us over the last four months for a reason. But after hearing a long series on money management and finances at church, it felt quite uncomfortable deciding whether to pull money out of retirement or college savings just to make ends meet until a job finally came around.

“God, I do trust You, and I know You will continue to provide. I know You are not going to let our boat sink. But please just tell us what to do in the meantime while Mike is not working.”

The more frugal we tried to live, the more our daily expenses seemed to multiply. All four of our pets became infested with fleas. Two of the animals got sick enough to need medical attention. Both of our vehicles needed several hundred dollars in repairs. Our electric bill skyrocketed over the hot summer months. Medical insurance through the government cost us more than we’d ever had to pay before.

We prayed daily, begging for wisdom on how to handle our finances. God provided, unexpected people gave money to sustain us, but I selfishly just wanted my husband to go back to work. It’s uncomfortable to be the one in need. I hate to admit that I started to question Mike’s interviewing skills, while at the same time I wondered if I didn’t do a good enough job drafting his resume for him. Maybe I didn’t make him look marketable or emphasize his strengths enough.

Or perhaps God took my bold prayers seriously and therefore wouldn’t give Mike a job that didn’t fit my specific prayer.

Summer ended, and I went back to work. Less than a week into the new school year, Mike sent me a text around mid-morning.

“I just got an e-mail from a tire company. They saw my resume online and asked me to apply for their tire sales position.” Tire sales? Mike worked for a local tire company from the age of sixteen up until right before David was born, now fourteen years ago. Although he currently sought a job in a maintenance field, we knew he held a lot of experience and knowledge with tires.

Later that morning, I got another text. “They want me to come for an interview this afternoon.”

Then late that afternoon, I got a phone call. “The interview went really well. They offered me the job!”

A job that will fulfill him and earn him respect quickly because of his prior experience. A job close to home, offering more income than any position he applied for over the last four months. An employer that sought him out.

A job that came with a story. 

A spread out family

This skype conversation today just warmed my heart.

I love it when these brothers get to reconnect with each other.

Once upon a time, it was the other way around--with me on the other end.

Grateful

Praise God, my husband has a job and is working again!!! More details to come in later posts. :) (You know there's going to be a God-story here. Stay tuned.)

Do you have a war room?

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I just read that this movie is now #1 in the country!  I can't tell you how happy that makes me. I've been so excited about this movie since the very first mention of it. I went to see it by myself (on purpose) on opening weekend, and I cried the whole way through it. You see, I've been there, and I can personally attest to the power of prayer. 

Do you have a war room? In my first house, it was a screened in porch. I spent a lot of time with God out there, digging deep into Bible study, but I can't say I had a prayer strategy or spent a lot of time praying.

When I moved into my house in Texas years later, I turned my front porch into my sanctuary. I started meeting with God there every morning shortly after moving in, and by then I found the need and desire for a specific prayer strategy. Life is a constant battle, and without prayer, many days feel hopeless. With it, we can overcome anything the enemy throws at us. I learned how to fight my battles the right way, with the right power.

Now I have three war rooms. My front porch (where I can watch the sun set in the evenings), my back porch (where I can watch the sun rise), and my prayer corner in my living room (where I can sit by the lamp light when it's too cold to sit outside and where I can cover the wall with Scriptures, prayer requests, and answers to prayer). 

It works, and I can tell story after story of specific ways God has answered my prayers, led me to victories, and changed my life in unimaginable ways. Yet even better than that, I've watched other lives change and know that God used me to pray them through. 

If you haven't seen the movie, please don't wait another day!  Make plans to go. And if you don't have a war room, make one, and then develop a prayer strategy to fight your battles the right way. The only way. 

The lamp light

Tucked in the corner by the fireplace

Sit a small lamp and a chair,

A few books and pens and notecards,

A worn and tattered book of prayers.

Before the sun comes up each morning,

I turn the lamp light on.

I sit to talk with God

About how my days have gone.

I fess up all my failures,

And add to my journal of praise.

We adjust my grumpy attitude

And address my selfish ways.

I read a portion of Scripture,

Ponder over a devotional page,

I reflect over how it affects me

So differently each year I age. 

Once my heart is in tune with the Spirit,

I open that tattered book by the chair.

I anoint my family with Scripture,

And surrender them all in prayer.

Though I always fall short as a wife,

A mom, a daughter or a friend,

Know I give you the gift

That matters most in the end. 

Every morning when you wake up,

And you see the lamp light on,

It means you have been prayed for

Even before your day has begun.

By Rachelle D. Alspaugh