Last week was rough. Ethan was sick, then I got sick, then Jeff got sick. And all on different days...and it lingered about 2 days each. So we all didn't get much good quality time together. Anyways, I'm glad we're all feeling better now!
Last week was also one of those weeks where Jeff and I were just both kind of struggling with where to go from here. What to do in life, what jobs to have, wanting to be in God's will, but not knowing how to get there...
Ever have one of those days where you just don't know what you should be doing in life and you start looking at your circumstances and the job you have and just feel like there's gotta be more to life than this? That was like our week last week. The devil was just really putting depressing thoughts in our heads and it was really a tough battle. Thursday when Jeff stayed home from work because he wasn't feeling good, we just had a long worship session and just had to THANK God for all He HAS DONE and WILL DO. It seemed like all hope in things was failing, but when we turned our eyes on God, the burden was lifted. Even in the natural it just seems like things aren't going good, but when we completely give it to God and stop giving thought to it, that's when we feel free. That's what I've been doing this whole month it seems (just keep on giving any thoughts to God), but last week I started taking those thoughts back into my own hands. Just wondering what God has for me. I just want to be in His perfect will and it's so hard to know what that is sometimes. I feel like I just need to take steps of faith and just ask Him to close doors where they need to be closed and open them where they should be open. That's the other thing, I haven't been working much (only at the flower shoppe which cancels out Ethan's daycare) and so I've gotten worried about money so much that I have been tempted to go back to Eagle Street. I know I am not supposed to go back there and it was like I kept getting this image in my mind or sentence in my mind (probably Holy Spirit led) that kept saying "It's like a dog going back to its own vomit"
Enough said. I'm not going back as tempting as it is sometimes. It was such good money. Man!
All this to say, sometimes the devil tries to sidetrack us with thoughts and situations happening in the natural, but we have to keep our eyes focused on God and how HE cares for us and how He takes care of the birds and He'll take care of us too. Somehow we always seem to make it. And it's because of God's provision. I just have to keep focus on that. Our God is supernatural and He will always provide.
Here's a little story...some may say it's a coincidence, some may say it's favor!
Jeff wanted to go get some beans for coffee from Starbuck's...so we went there to get it and if you pay with a Starbuck's registered gift card, you get a free drink. So, we decided to load a card and then pay for it and get our free drink.
I guess you could say it wasn't really planned and the money would come out of our grocery fund...we decided we'd put $20 on the Starbuck's card. Don't know why $20 since beans cost $10-$12. I pulled $20 out to put on the card. After giving the cashier the money, I looked on the floor and said, "Jeff, I think you dropped this" and he said "I didn't drop that, I didn't even have a $20 bill in my wallet" The $20 bill was folded so I knew it wasn't in my wallet either (I keep my cash straight). After talking a little bit about it, we realized it was a random $20 and that paid for the $20 re-load on the starbuck's card. After finding it, it was like God was saying to me that He'll always make a way to provide. Even for the little enjoyable things in life. Some would say it was a coincidence that we found $20 on the floor and decided to put $20 on the Starbuck's card all at the same time, but some of us (me) would say that is just one way our supernatural God works and one way that we get favor in small situations like that. (Thanks, God for the coffee money...haha)
I hope whoever reads this finds some encouragement in it, and if no one reads it, that's ok too because I really just enjoy journaling about life. Let GOD be your source of provision today!!!!
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Sunday, October 5, 2008
6 Random Things...(Well, kind of random, not super random)
Evan tagged me a little while back and I just read it! So I'm gonna do it!
-Write 6 random things about yourself.
-Tag 6 people at the end of your post
-If you were tagged, DO IT and pass on the tag.
6 Random things about myself...
1. I'm weird and crazy and spontaneous. Especially when it gets late at night...I start saying things like, "I crack myself up like an egg ahahahahahaha!" and then laugh uncontrollably...or laugh about the bird pooping on my head story even though no one else gets it. I just love being weird and crazy and meeting weird and crazy spontaneous people!
2. I can eat a whole jar of green olives in one sitting.
3.In high school, I went to the dentist after not going for a while and found out I had 14 cavities! 7 on each side!
4. I like unique things...anything that is different from the average thing...and I LOVE giving unique or hand made gifts.
5. I save wrapping paper. That's right. Well, maybe not the actual paper, but the ribbons, bows, and bags...I save them...and then I reuse them. That's right re-use. Because I'd rather spend more money on a gift than part of the money on the wrapping paper!
6. Not sure if this is something random or not, but I can't think of anything else...
I LOVE and THRIVE on deep conversation! I love being transparent and I love it when people are transparent with me! I love just being real.
7. Nate's made me think of this...I was the only one in my family (of my siblings) that was not born in Minnesota...I was born in Colorado! My brothers always teased me and said that the altitude affected me (in a negative way). Aren't they nice?
I don't know what else...If I think of something better, I'll edit this!
-Write 6 random things about yourself.
-Tag 6 people at the end of your post
-If you were tagged, DO IT and pass on the tag.
6 Random things about myself...
1. I'm weird and crazy and spontaneous. Especially when it gets late at night...I start saying things like, "I crack myself up like an egg ahahahahahaha!" and then laugh uncontrollably...or laugh about the bird pooping on my head story even though no one else gets it. I just love being weird and crazy and meeting weird and crazy spontaneous people!
2. I can eat a whole jar of green olives in one sitting.
3.In high school, I went to the dentist after not going for a while and found out I had 14 cavities! 7 on each side!
4. I like unique things...anything that is different from the average thing...and I LOVE giving unique or hand made gifts.
5. I save wrapping paper. That's right. Well, maybe not the actual paper, but the ribbons, bows, and bags...I save them...and then I reuse them. That's right re-use. Because I'd rather spend more money on a gift than part of the money on the wrapping paper!
6. Not sure if this is something random or not, but I can't think of anything else...
I LOVE and THRIVE on deep conversation! I love being transparent and I love it when people are transparent with me! I love just being real.
7. Nate's made me think of this...I was the only one in my family (of my siblings) that was not born in Minnesota...I was born in Colorado! My brothers always teased me and said that the altitude affected me (in a negative way). Aren't they nice?
I don't know what else...If I think of something better, I'll edit this!
What's Five Bucks to Ya?
It's a pint of organic strawberries to me...
Tonight Jeff and I were at the store picking up a few things for the week and organic strawberries were on sale 2/$7 so we grabbed one. That's right. One. Not two. At the lovely Cub Foods they always have these signs that say 2/$5, 3/$4 etc etc... but, it's all just marketing. You really don't have to buy 2,3, or 10 to get the deal. You can grab one 2/$5 item and it'll be $2.50. Good to know, right? (although last week we fell for the 10 for $10 avocadoes deal...)
Anyways, I always read over my receipt when we're leaving and tonight I noticed they charged us $4.99 for the strawberries instead of $3.50. Only a $1.50, right? (In a normal world maybe...) but, we were still in the store grabbing a free redbox dvd (free because we get free codes to rent free movies and it's great) so I went to the customer service counter and asked them about it...
The guy apologized and said, "Here's Five Bucks (not $4.99) for a refund" He refunded the strawberries completely!!! He said, "It's part of our right price scan guarantee...if it scans wrong, we'll refund your money on the first one and charge you the right price on the 2nd one."
Awesome, huh? It seems that many times probably 1 out of every 3 shopping trips we find some sort of mistake on the receipt...which brings me to my next point...be aware! Don't just sit back and expect everyone to do everything for you...be proactive and save five bucks once in a while!
And, another thing, if you're not on a budget five bucks doesn't really seem like any sort of a big deal, but when you actually watch where your money is going, five bucks can be a dealbreaker. That's all.
And, today Pastor Peter Haas' sermon was awesome. He talked about just being smart with your finances and even gave a plug for Dave Ramsey. He showed a little video that they made that you should watch when they post it this Tuesday. I think it'd be great for anyone who has purchased and financed a new car.
That's all.
P.S.
Jeff and I have for the first time in our lives been on a "budget" or "spending plan" for more than 3 weeks at a time! In fact, this Tuesday, October 7th will be our 3 MONTH MARK!!! And, this is the first month that it has actually caught up to us where there is actually extra money in the bank at the end of the month!! Big Shock!!! It's great. We're slowly but surely going to become debt free!!!!!!!!!!
Tonight Jeff and I were at the store picking up a few things for the week and organic strawberries were on sale 2/$7 so we grabbed one. That's right. One. Not two. At the lovely Cub Foods they always have these signs that say 2/$5, 3/$4 etc etc... but, it's all just marketing. You really don't have to buy 2,3, or 10 to get the deal. You can grab one 2/$5 item and it'll be $2.50. Good to know, right? (although last week we fell for the 10 for $10 avocadoes deal...)
Anyways, I always read over my receipt when we're leaving and tonight I noticed they charged us $4.99 for the strawberries instead of $3.50. Only a $1.50, right? (In a normal world maybe...) but, we were still in the store grabbing a free redbox dvd (free because we get free codes to rent free movies and it's great) so I went to the customer service counter and asked them about it...
The guy apologized and said, "Here's Five Bucks (not $4.99) for a refund" He refunded the strawberries completely!!! He said, "It's part of our right price scan guarantee...if it scans wrong, we'll refund your money on the first one and charge you the right price on the 2nd one."
Awesome, huh? It seems that many times probably 1 out of every 3 shopping trips we find some sort of mistake on the receipt...which brings me to my next point...be aware! Don't just sit back and expect everyone to do everything for you...be proactive and save five bucks once in a while!
And, another thing, if you're not on a budget five bucks doesn't really seem like any sort of a big deal, but when you actually watch where your money is going, five bucks can be a dealbreaker. That's all.
And, today Pastor Peter Haas' sermon was awesome. He talked about just being smart with your finances and even gave a plug for Dave Ramsey. He showed a little video that they made that you should watch when they post it this Tuesday. I think it'd be great for anyone who has purchased and financed a new car.
That's all.
P.S.
Jeff and I have for the first time in our lives been on a "budget" or "spending plan" for more than 3 weeks at a time! In fact, this Tuesday, October 7th will be our 3 MONTH MARK!!! And, this is the first month that it has actually caught up to us where there is actually extra money in the bank at the end of the month!! Big Shock!!! It's great. We're slowly but surely going to become debt free!!!!!!!!!!
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