This Story has A Nice Ring To It

“Do you still make jewelry?”, I asked the woman behind the solid wall of glass.

I was at a silver and gold exchange business located in my neighborhood. I had brought in some old jewelry and silverware that had been in a drawer for some time with the intention of selling it.

My overall goal was, if any of it was worth anything, to get some cash or materials for me to use to make a ring to replace the one that I had recently lost.

The ring that I had lost wasn’t expensive or valuable. It was a very simple ring that I had modified and liked to wear. I had recently lost some weight and best I could figure the ring had fallen off and I didn’t even know it!

I found a design for a ring that I liked. It was a simple silver ring with a gold cross. I am an artist and have made jewelry in the past. But, because I don’t have access to the same tools that I would need to do a “lost-wax” ring, I had discussed with a jeweler friend of mine what he would charge me to make the ring.

His price was fair, but higher than I wanted to pay for a ring. So, I decided to sell some items so see what I could come up with for cash or precious metals to make the ring myself.

Most of what I brought in to sell wasn’t worth a whole lot. The two items that did have some value looked like costume jewelry and didn’t appear to be worth anything. It turned out that they were both made of white gold and were incrusted with diamond chips making them valuable.

After I filled out some paperwork, I was handed a check and was just about to leave the shop when I remembered the real reason that I had come to the store.

I also remembered that this woman had told me in the past that she had gone to college to study jewelry making. I thought that I would ask her if she still made jewelry and ask what she would charge to make a ring for me.

“No, I don’t”, she answered me. “I will occasionally do some modifications such as resizing, but nothing other than that. Why do you ask?”

I told her how I had lost my ring and that I wanted to replace it.

“What style were you looking to make?” she asked.

I told her about the simple silver ring with a gold cross that I had seen.

She said to me; “I have one that I might be willing to sell.”

She continued. “Mine is a simple ring with a cross on it. In fact, just this morning I was looking at the ring and thought to myself that I should maybe sell the ring since it is too big for my fingers…would you like me to email you a picture of it?”

I told her “yes”, gave her a business card, and went home.

Later that evening, I received an email from her along with some pictures of the ring we discussed. In the email she stated that she was on the fence about selling it, but because I asked about it, she said she would be willing to part with it.

The ring was simple and, it turns out, was made of silver and the cross was made of gold.

We exchanged a few more emails, including what was the price that she would sell it for, and agreed to meet the next day for a look at the ring to see it would fit me.

The next day, I went to her business, tried on the ring (it fit), and willingly paid her asking price. We both marveled at how the transaction took place.

And the amount of money that I received for the jewelry that I sold her was more than her price for the ring. In fact, I was able to purchase the ring and still give a tithe on the amount that I received in the sale of the jewelry.

It is the simple things, isn’t it, where God seems to shine the best! It is in the extra ordinary requests of my heart that only He knows, when He seems to be the closest.

It is when I need new clothing and someone gives me some for a gift.

It is when I need a hug and someone comes up and gives me one without me asking.

It is when I am desirous of something like chocolate, or steak, or tickets to watch the Minnesota Wild play and someone gives them to me without me asking.

It is when I long to preach and someone calls me up and asks me if I am available.

No, I didn’t need the ring; I have others that I can wear.

But I DID need to be reminded that He does know that I am here…

And for me to know that He hears the desires of my heart.

See, I told you that this story has a nice ring to it.

Blessed be the Lord,
Who daily loads us with benefits,
The God of our salvation! Selah (Psalm 68:19)

Pompous Pacer

The year was nineteen seventy something and I was about to enter my senior year of high school. I had been working a side-job taking care of an elderly man who had multiple sclerosis (MS) and was deteriorating in his physical health. Mentally, he was a sharper than any tack that I had ever seen!

My job started off pretty simple: I would go over to his apartment (which was only a block away) and help him into his wheelchair in the morning; sometimes helping him get his socks on.

As his MS got worse, I would also go over to his apartment in the evening to help him out of his wheelchair and into his bed.

In time, he needed more help as the tremors would sometime make simple tasks very difficult for him, like preparing breakfast or pulling up his pants.

We had looked at several assisted living facilities, but none would meet his or our approval. Again, this was the seventies, and most of the facilities we looked at smelled like urine all the way out to the parking lot.

No way could we let him live there.

He was a very smart man who had a very prestigious career and had made a good income, so money wasn’t really an issue. His wife was deceased, and he had no children.

The solution that he came up with was to hire in-home nursing to give him further assistance. He also purchased a lift to assist getting him in and out of bed and another for the tub.

He also had another idea; he wanted to buy me a car so that I could drive him places.

I want to say that he was really a great guy and I enjoyed spending time with him. He loved reading books in order to stay a step ahead on new technology and the latest trends.

As I said, his mind was sharp as his body was falling apart. He joked with me that his mind would still be working for several days after he was buried in the ground.

Did I mention that he wanted to buy me a new car?

I really had no reason to respond the way I did when he purchased a brand new car and gave it to me. The plan was that it would be mine to use as much as I wanted and it was mine to keep after he died.

The problem? It was an AMC Pacer! No teenager wanted to drive, let alone be seen in a Pacer! Remember, this was sixteen years BEFORE the movie “Wayne’s world” came out and made it ‘popular’.

And, no, it didn’t come with a factory issued licorice dispenser. That was an aftermarket item that you couldn’t get until 1992!

My oldest brother had a Dodge Challenger at the time which further added to my reluctance to drive the car. His was cool, mine was lame!

The man told me that he had done research in Consumer’s Report and said that this was one of the best values in the market today. He also liked that it would be easy to load and unload his wheelchair in the back. And he loved that he could see out the windows.

That last statement didn’t help at all; if he could see out, then others could see in!

I should also mention that my next older brother had a Camaro with a spoiler on the rear. My next youngest brother had a Nova!

There is no way that I would be seen in a AMC Pacer.

So I made excuses not to drive it.

Yes, I turned down his generous gift to me. I NEVER even drove it! And I starting spending less and less time with him in order to NOT drive the car…I wanted the provision; just not in that way.

In a very short time, his body failed to the point where he was placed in a nursing home. He died within the month. I didn’t know what happened to the car; and didn’t really care at the time where it ended up.

I had been an ungrateful and proud teenager who, although I needed a car, choose to let pride stop me from receiving a gift from a generous person who wanted to show his appreciation for me.

I also missed out on my opportunity to spend time with this great man.

I missed it by allowing my pompous pride get in the way.

As I write this I have several thoughts.

First of all, it reminds me of Naaman in the Bible. He was a great and honorable man and the commander of the army of the king of Syria. He was also a mighty man of valor, but he was also a leper. (Read the story in 2 Kings Chapter 5).

Naaman had a chance to get healed of his leprosy, but he didn’t like how it was to be done.

Naaman was told that if he wanted to be healed; “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored to you, and you shall be clean.”

 

Naaman said, “NO!” In fact he became furious at the preposterous suggestion. He wanted the provision; just not in that way.

Fortunately, he gave in, did what he was told to do, and received a complete healing.

My other thought is wondering how many times have you and I missed provision simply because we were too pompous to receive? How many times did it come and go and because pride caused us to stumble and fall short?

Finally, what about provision for that hole in your soul; for that sin in your life? Have allowed pride to stop you from simply receiving the free gift of salvation through Jesus Christ?

Naaman almost missed it by allowing his pompous pride get in the way.

Be careful that you don’t make the same mistake.

“Today when you hear His voice, don’t harden your hearts as Israel did when they rebelled.” (Hebrews 3:15)

“But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, cleanses us from all sin. If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts.” (1 John 1:7-10)

“If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved. As the Scriptures tell us, “Anyone who trusts in Him will never be disgraced.” Jew and Gentile are the same in this respect. They have the same Lord, who gives generously to all who call on Him. For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Romans 10:9-13)

All Scripture is from the New Living Translation (NLT), copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

An Open Letter to My Parents

Hi Dad and Mom

Please forgive the “formalness” of this letter. I am typing this because if I hand wrote it would probably be harder to read; and I have a bad habit of relying on spell check rather than a dictionary.

I was thinking of the two of you when I was out for a walk the other day and I became very grateful for all that you have done for me; for our family over the years.

In particular, I wanted to write down a couple of things that came to mind.

You both sacrificed so much of your time, emotions, sleep, finances; your physical health to provide for all of us children over our lifetimes.

But more than the physical provisions; of which I am tremendously grateful, it is the spiritual heritage that I felt led to comment on.

I know that I did some things right as a dad and husband, but I know that it was God who chose to hear your prayers and change the course of history.

Mom and Dad; Thank you for not quitting on your marriage; for leaving a legacy of hope that marriages can be “born again”. Thank you for praying Cathy and I through the times of turbulence in our marriage.

Thank you for discipling me when I came to the Lord in college. I am forever grateful for the simple daily devotionals that the three of us would do at the counter in the kitchen. It was during those times that I developed a love for the Bible and reading it from cover to cover.

Thank you for teaching me to trust the Lord for His provision by seeking first His Kingdom and His Righteousness.

MOM; you started this. It was you who followed the Lord’s leading as you wondered what had happened to Chris and Sue Steven’s life to make them appear so different.

It was you who said “yes” to Angie’s invitation to “come and see”.

It was you who invited dad to “come and see”.

It was you who stood in the gap and prayed for your children.

It was you who said “yes” to allowing the Lord to make changes in all areas of your life.

It was your prayers and tears and intercessions that prayed all of us boys into the Kingdom of God. All of your sons are at a place where they long to follow and serve the Lord with their whole heart.

The results of your prayers are seen in the lives of those who we have touched in ministry; formally, or behind the scenes. 

Galatians 6:9 says; “And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.”

Proverbs 31:28 says; “Her children rise up and call her blessed; Her husband also, and he praises her.”  

You are blessed, and your sons are blessed, and the next generations (should Jesus tarry) will be blessed because you chose life in Jesus when you were presented with the option.

We couldn’t have done it without you. Thank you Mom.

DAD; you too were a part of all of this. More than what you did by becoming a Catholic and all that it cost you, it was the legacy of seeking God that you deposited.

 

I remember you going on retreats when we were kids and going to novenas and taking us to St. Joseph’s; trying to seek the Lord as best you knew how.

When mom came to the Lord, you, too, surrendered after you (like a Berean) sought for truth in following Jesus and baptism in the Holy Spirit.

You, too, were willing to say “yes” to allowing the Lord to make changes in all areas of your life.

You also have stood in the gap for so many people; including your children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren.

On my walk, I remember a men’s retreat that we both attended where one of the talks was on how to raise your children in the Lord.

You, Tom Langlois, Joe Rowan, and Marv were hit with the frustration and tears as you expressed; “Where was this when we were starting out as young parents?” I remember several of us standing up and requesting; “Help us to raise our children, the next generation”.

As I look at my sons, I realize that your cries, your prayers that day were heard by a God who, too, wanted to see a godly heritage; and your sons and my sons are the result of that. Joshua and Jonathan are my hope of a new generation that will do it right; and the world will be a better place!

As I have spent time with Joshua and Jonathan and watch how they treat their wives, I realize; Dad, WE DID IT! We stopped the erosion of men who didn’t do it right (for a whole lot of reasons).

So, as you think of my ministry and the lives that I am able to touch and make a difference in, and when you look at my children and how they have turned out; please know that you were the ones who made it happen by your choices to follow and seek the only One who could ever make lasting changes in our lives.

 “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.” John 15:7-8

I am so very grateful that each of you has said, and continues to say, “yes” to the will and purposes of the Lord Jesus Christ in your lives.

Thank you.

I love you

 PSALM 127

¹ Unless the LORD builds the house,
         They labor in vain who build it;
         Unless the LORD guards the city,
         The watchman stays awake in vain.
 ² It is vain for you to rise up early,
         To sit up late,
         To eat the bread of sorrows;
         For so He gives His beloved sleep.
 
 ³ Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD,
         The fruit of the womb is a reward.
 ⁴ Like arrows in the hand of a warrior,
         So are the children of one’s youth.
 ⁵ Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them;
         They shall not be ashamed,
         But shall speak with their enemies in the gate.

Toilet Paper, Soap, and Worn Jeans

When I awoke this morning, I thought of a conversation that Cathy and I had many years ago. We were experiencing a time where more money was going through the bank than was coming in.

During this trial of faith, I went in to lockdown mode, trying to cling on to all that we had. Cathy, instead, said to me; “I said to God if you need to take it all away so that we learn to trust You, then do it”.

I asked her not to pray that way just in case God took her up on her test of faith.

Well, we got through that season of growing in our faith and God provided.

And, we have gone through other tests throughout our married life and have had to trust for even greater things such as vehicles, medical bills, a house, and money to help the children pay off college loans.

If it were up to me, we would have gone the route I had planned on when I was in college: graduate, get the great job with the retirement package and then retire with plenty of money saved in the bank.

So here we are again. We are in the middle of a miracle; the place where we are in between the promise and the provision. Another season of increasing faith and trust in the provision of the Lord.

Seemingly all of our resources are drying up. I am experiencing mental and physical health issues that make it difficult for me to secure a steady source of income; and beyond that to fill the barns to over flowing so we have reserves in the bank.

When I went downstairs today, I noticed that the large box of toilet paper from Sam’s Club that had been full a month ago was half gone. On the shelf where we keep the large package of bar soap there were only two left. In the clothes basket were a pair of jeans well past their prime. All of these items would soon need to be replaced and it will take money to do so.

All of this in the past would have stirred me up to think like a pagan or an unbeliever. Instead, my mind was on seeking first the Kingdom because of what I heard when I woke this morning.

³¹ “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ ³² These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs.³³ Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need. ³⁴ “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.” (Matthew 6:31-34 MSG)

I’ve been thinking a lot about Noah lately and all that he had to endure as a part of his increasing trust and faith in the provision of the Lord.

Noah’s story was not without testing, trust, and even pain. He was in the middle of a miracle of God and he was learning to trust for provision of all things, and some days that included pain.

There was physical, emotional, psychological, and spiritual pain from the hard work of building the massive ship; all the while (subjectively) explaining to those around him that something called “rain” was coming.

There was physical, emotional, psychological, and spiritual pain from loss of friends and loved ones who died in the flood.

There was physical, emotional, psychological, and spiritual pain from the hard work of taking care of the livestock and birds for a whole year; to say nothing of the working conditions such as the stench of that ship!

There was physical, emotional, psychological, and spiritual pain from simply being stretched in his faith as he trusted One who he couldn’t see to provide everything that he needed; including toilet paper, soap, and clothing!

Do you think trusting God means that everything will be easy? After all, if God is the One who is allowing it and we are His children, it should go well…right?

That’s not always the case. Sometimes trusting God is really hard as we learn to set down all of the programing we have been hard-wired with since we were young. Things like worrying vs letting go and seeking first the Kingdom of God. Like relying on ourselves vs trusting God for how He chooses to provide.

Yes, it may be painful and lonely and at times cause you to think that you really have missed God. But that does not necessarily mean that you are missing God.

Noah did everything just as God told him, and he still must have had some dark times of wondering if he missed God’s plan. After all, he was on the ship for over one year; during which I’m sure he had many reasons to not believe that he was going to have enough to get by physically, emotionally, psychologically, and spiritually.

Are you going through a time of testing right now? Trust God through it.

And, when following God gets painful, pray and ask God for the peace to follow Him no matter what and you will find real peace; not as the world gives.

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank Him for all He has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7 NLT)

“You parents—if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! So, if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask Him.” (Matthew 7:9-11 NLT)

It is time of increasing trust in the only One who can take care of us.

The Father has placed you where you are and you must trust that everything happens in His time.

Don’t fight what He is doing in your life to go back to what you know does not work; like worry and stress.

This is the time to put your worry aside and yield to those things He wants to teach you. His desire is for you to walk in His ways and stand and see His provision for ALL areas of your life…toilet paper, soap, and new jeans!

“Why would you ever complain, O Jacob, or, whine, Israel, saying, “GOD has lost track of me. He doesn’t care what happens to me”? Don’t you know anything? Haven’t you been listening? GOD doesn’t come and go. God lasts. He’s Creator of all you can see or imagine. He doesn’t get tired out, doesn’t pause to catch His breath.” (Isaiah 40:27-29 MSG) 

The Message (MSG)

Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson

New Living Translation (NLT)

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

How We Got the House At 840

I thought that since our house is now paid off, I should write about how we got the house.

On the night before Thanksgiving 1984, my dad had a dream. Mentally, I was in a rough spot. He told me on Thanksgiving Day at church about the dream; he said that he believed that it was from the Lord. He heard the Lord say that we were going to get a house for $59,000.

We were a family of five; two adults, a boy, and two girls. We were renting a little two-story house that had two bedrooms; one just off the dining room on the first floor and one upstairs. It served our needs and only had a few things wrong with it such as mice, short ceilings in the basement, and its address was “666”.

The house was owned by a friend of a friend of ours. His brother had purchased the house because it was very close in location to his house. His mother was dying in another state and his brother had purchased the house so that when his mother died, his father would be closer to his brother.

We were renting the house under the agreement that when the mother died, we would have two months to vacate the property. This agreement worked well and we lived at this house for several years.

In June of 1985, we received notice that the homeowner’s mother had died and we were given notice that we need to vacate the house by the August 31, 1985. We spent the next two months looking for a house to purchase with no success; sometimes looking at five houses each day.

Then we came to the point where we had only two weeks left before we had to leave.

Although we had been looking to purchase a house, we had nowhere to go. And, to make matters worse, because I wasn’t employed (other than odd jobs) we had no credit rating and no money in the bank. We were not the candidate that realtors want for prospective buyers.

I was in a bad spot. I said to my father-in-law; “God has finally let us down. In two weeks we will have nowhere to go. No job, no money, no house and no prospects!”

My father-in-law lovingly responded that he knew that God would come through. He said; “One thing I know is that your and Cathy’s life has always shown the provision of the Lord; He has always been faithful to you. In two weeks, you will have a great testimony of how God came through”.

My response was cynical and I said something to the effect of; “Why don’t you go through this and then I will read the book that you write as to how He came through!” My father-in-law said; “You need to go through this; it is something that you need to walk through and in two weeks you will have a great testimony of how He came through”.

Meanwhile when I was with my father-in-law, Cathy was with one of her sisters looking at houses. Cathy found a home that she liked on Ohio Street. The flyer said that it was a “Charming, two-story four-bedroom house with an Upper 3rd Floor located in a convenient area close to shopping areas, bus service, parks and schools. Because of the large corner lot, its South exposure fills the home with passive solar during the winter months and keeps it bright and cheery!” It was listed for the asking price of $59,900 as a “Contract for Deed…Like renting”

Later that Night Cathy, my parents, and I went through the house and it was agreed that we should try to get the house. The realtor (who was also the homeowner) told us several things about the house not listed in the flyer.

The house actually had a “contract for deed on a contract for deed” In other words the realtor was still making payments to someone else for the house. Also, another person had already signed a “Purchase Agreement”. My mom suggested that none of this mattered (if Cathy really wanted the house) and said she would call people and ask them to pray.

This began a week filled with one road block after another. Each time one road was cleared (like the original person requesting to back out of the purchase agreement) another road block would come up.

And each time my mom would call friends and ask them to pray. And each time one road was cleared another road block would come up. And each time my mom would call friends and ask them to pray. This took us to Sunday night, one week after we first looked at the house.

One week Later…On August 18, 1985, Cathy, my parents, and I met at the reality office (again who is also the owner of the house) to sign a “Purchase Agreement and give a check for two thousand dollars earnest money given towards the purchase of the house.

She said to me; “You two are the worst possible scenarios for selling a house. Why am I doing this sale?” I sheepishly muttered to her “Because they prayed”, referring to my mom and Cathy.

When asked what I mumbled, I spoke up and said that my mom and Cathy had prayed that this sale would go through. The realtor smiled, shook my hand again expressing what a risk it was and proceeded to congratulate Cathy.

As I stood in the office I noticed that this realtor had been “Realtor of the Month” for ten of the past twelve months!

When she gave a hug to my mom, my mom noticed that the realtor was tearing up. When asked what was going on, she explained; “Two weeks ago I was talking about this house with my husband. He said that we would have no problem selling in the next two weeks before going on a trip overseas. I told him how long it took to close on the sale of a house. He told me that the sale would happen; after all they were going to have an audience with the Pope. I told him that if the sale went through in the next two weeks, it would have to be God.

When you told me that you prayer, I wondered if God had indeed heard your prayers and that is why we were doing this”

After a brief discussion, the sellers agreed to rent the house to us for the month of September, 1985 for the amount of $375 so that we could move in immediately; and, so that they could head to Europe to see the Pope.

The official signing was scheduled for October, 1985 when they returned from Europe. Keys were given to us; one week after we first set foot in the house and one week before we needed to get out of the house we were currently renting. We had beaten the “two-week deadline” as God came through with one week to spare!

My understanding is that we would owe a payment of sixty five hundred when we signed the official paperwork in October. I tried doing everything that I could to get the money and nothing worked. I had been doing construction on people’s homes; no one seemed to have money to pay me. I even tried selling antiques and was offered well below market value.

October 4, 1985, we signed for the house. My parents came with in case we needed to borrow money for the down payment; which we did. There was also a bill for $65 dollars which covered some filing fees and back taxes. We were able to write a check because we had that amount of money in the bank. The entire closing took only fifteen minutes! The monthly house payment was around $540.

I came home from the signing and was not filled with hope but rather fear as I wondered how we would pay for the house. I asked Cathy; “Yes, God had gotten us into the house, but how would we pay for it?” She left me alone in my thoughts and headed to the store still rejoicing for how God had provided for us. The mail came and along with it was a local newspaper (the kind normally left to die in the front bushes). I opened it and saw the name of a company.

This was an ad stating what the company offers as a service and products. The ad was not saying that they were looking to hire, but something about the company stood out to me so I picked up the phone.

I need to digress and state that this was a bit out of the ordinary for me and it followed a year of application and interviews with no success and only left me more discouraged.

The owner of the company answered the phone and I asked him if they were hiring. He said to me; “Can you start tomorrow?” and asked me what I would like to make as an hourly wage; to which I gave him a number. He said that he would pay slightly less, but after two days he paid me more than I originally asked. I worked for this company for about eight years.

August 21, 1995. Ten years after we purchased the house we were to make a balloon payment of approximately eight thousand dollars. Once again I looked to myself to come up with the funds necessary to cover the debt that was owed.

Once again my efforts were met with no success at all. After months of trying, we didn’t have the money for the balloon payment. Once again I wandered and couldn’t see how we were going to come up with the money.

We asked the people who met in our home Bible study to pray for us and the situation; asking for favor from God for the money.

On the night before the papers were to be signed and the check would be due, I got a phone call from the realtor who owned the house; the one to whom we would be writing the check to buy out her portion of the contract for deed. The realtor had a strange request. She said to me; “I know that tomorrow you are coming with a check for eight thousand dollars; and I want you to know that contractually we have to take the money. I am asking if we might talk”.  I didn’t tell her that we didn’t have the money.

One phone call extended the balloon payment to September 1, 2000. After that we transferred to a mortgage company; to which we made monthly payments until we were paid up.

All of the years that we have been in the house, we NEVER missed a house payment; and we were ALWAYS able to replace furnishings including furniture, appliances, remodel rooms, replace the roof, soffits, and facia. 

Praise be the Name of the Lord for His faithfulness!

"But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble." (Matthew 6:33-34 NKJV)