Acceleration

It was a Sunday. Much like every other Sunday at the end of camper-season. Mike and I were cleaning up after another fabulous summer of campfires, ATVing, laughing with friends, and sleeping in late. It was beginning to get colder and the leaves were starting to fall. The water was going to be shut off and our camper would be winterized and prepped to sit through the frigid winter months, waiting patiently for the spring to arrive with it's promise of sunny days and warm nights. 

Camper = LumberMike

Rachel was over, carrying on menial talk and cracking silly jokes like usual. Somewhere in the conversation, I recall mentioning that we would certainly be unable to sell our home and move for at least 5 years. Moving was not on our radar in the least. Mike and I had plans to fix up our house here and there and eventually, after a few girls move out for college, we would consider downsizing to something else. It was a fleeting conversation that I had all but forgotten about until that evening. 

We were driving home from the camper after cleaning and raking and pressure washing all day when the text came in. It was Rachel informing me that her neighbor was planning to list their house this week. 

Let me back up a bit. 2 weeks prior, in one of our usual conversations of dreams and what-ifs, Rachel and I discussed how wonderful it would be if her neighbors were to move from behind her. I could buy the house and I could be her neighbor once again and we would live happily ever after sipping coffee on our back porches while our kids played and grew up together. She had mentioned at this time that the owners were considering moving in the next couple of years. Little did we know... that timeline would be accelerated. 

Here we are. Sunday evening. Receiving text messages about this mystery house (we had no idea if it even had bedrooms) and deciding to go check it out that very evening. Mike was surprisingly willing to go. I think he was trying to make me happy by attending this impromptu showing, but not having any actual intentions of moving. Ever. 

Claw Foot Tub... need I say more?!

We came to discover the most perfect for us home ever. Aside from the location, it has massive bedrooms, tall ceilings, 2 bathrooms that I couldn't have designed better (guys- I am talking deep claw foot and jetted tubs..seriously..), and common living space to spare! This turned out to be the house that I think Mike would actually consider moving for! The deciding factor rests on the garage. Mike requires at least 3 stalls. He needs it insulated and heated for his home gym. This perfect amazing home has a 3 car garage... that is not heated or insulated. 

After honestly not a whole lot of convincing, and barely any begging or bribing, Mike agreed to put an offer on the house. The day it hit the market, we put in a generous offer. The next day, the owner's accepted! We were on our way to our beautiful new fancy west hill home!

The problem now, is that we have to sell our current home. Without selling we won't be able to close on a new mortgage. So we got to work. Fast. Within days, our home was inspected, new carpet laid, new appliances installed, electrical updated and fixed, fresh paint, new floors, and the house was ready to sell! The best news, is that our home value has sky-rocketed since we bought it, leaving us with enough profit to insulate and heat the new garage. (Oh hey, Jesus. Thanks for showing off for us- again!) 

All hands on deck!

We made an offer 3 days after seeing the new palace. They accepted the following day. 7 days later our house hit the market. 9 days after that we had an open house that welcomed 13 families in to check the place out. Today we sit at 11 days on the market, 22 days after first seeing the gorgeous castle, having had shown our home to 20 families. 

All year I have heard preachers and prophets talk about acceleration. They have claimed there is new things coming this year and faster than we expect. God is moving quickly and He is going to accelerate our growth, our pace, and our expectations. God is doing bigger things than I think any of us can truly realize. I have come to question if we will sell our house or not. I have doubted and dragged myself to bed exhausted with shaking faith. But, God continues to remind me of how fast He is moving and all that He is shifting around. There is so much that I can't see. There is so many moving pieces. People have commented on how unbelievably fast we were able to get our house fixed up and ready to sell. I still can't believe how it all came together. 

Through it all God keeps tilting my chin up to match my gaze with His. He brings Mike along to crack a joke or do something ridiculous to keep me laughing through it all. He ensures a weekend with the most perfect boy, Angus, to make sure I meet my snuggle quota. He keeps reminding me to not look at the things around me, but fix my eyes on Him. He has this all under control, so why worry? Why give myself the ulcer and old lady wrinkles? What good will it do? 

Angus, the perfect angel doggy model

He has been telling me to write. So here I am writing. I don't know if anyone cares to hear any of this or if it matters to anyone else. All I know is that I am so grateful to be in a place in my life where I can sit back and watch God move all around me. To be surrounded by people at work and home who God uses regularly to encourage me, uplift me, make me almost pee myself laughing, and keep me focused on the bright side. I don't know what the end of this story is, but I know that God knows my heart's desire. I know God cares about what I want. I know whether we move or not, He will continue having my heart and attention. 

Mike says we will have an offer by Tuesday. A friend from church says we will have an offer by the end of the week. We will see what happens. 


Isaiah 60:22 says, "... I am God. At the right time, I will make it happen."

Thank you Jesus that you are always right on time. Thank you that you don't move based on how I feel or what I think, but that you always do what is best at the perfect moment. You are the One who knows the beginning from the end, and I know that you are perfectly aware of my situation. I am humbled that you care about my desires and that you wish to give me only the best. Thank you for loving me enough to ignore the things I want that aren't in my best interest and instead usher in the greatest blessings of all. I rest in knowing that you are in control. I sleep easy knowing that you never do. I love you and can't wait to see what you do next. In Jesus' name, Amen.          

What About The Moms?

New York recently passed a new law that enables women to abort their babies up to an hour before birth. This, naturally, has the church up in arms. Devastated, we drop to our knees crying out to God for the lives of those who cannot speak for themselves. We pray corporately for these babies and we mourn for those who've already been lost. 

I am grateful to be a part of a body of believers who will speak out for the voiceless and hit their knees to intercede on their behalf. But in all the articles I've read, Facebook posts with your thoughts and opinions, videos of pastors explaining the Biblical view on abortion, I find myself missing a key component. 

What about the moms? The only thing I have heard in regard to the moms is my Pro-Choice friends standing for their right to choose. I have not heard or read or seen anyone calling out for these moms. 

In church this morning we worshiped to a song called Came To My Rescue by Bethel. In it we sang the lyrics: 

I called

You answered

And You came to my rescue 

And I wanna be where You are

Our worship leader cried out for us to intercede and lift up those babies and all I could do was weep as my heart began to break for the moms. God reminded me this morning of how He rescued me, because guys- I was one of those moms.

I found myself sobbing out broken prayers for the mom who followed through with it. I cried out for the mom who thought this was her way out. I was praying for the mom who thought she could leave the pain and burden of guilt and shame at the clinic. I prayed for the mom who was considering her options. I prayed for the mom who felt utterly hopeless and lost. For the mom who looked at her negative checking account, 2 full time jobs, and 3 hungry mouths and decided that she really didn't have a choice at all. 

When I was 18 years old I found myself broken, lost, alone, and pregnant. Again. I was a mess. My life was a mess and I had nothing to show except the 2 little girls who called me Mama. I couldn't handle another baby. So as secretly as I could be, I went to the clinic and I had the procedure that would end my unborn child's life. I didn't realize at the time that I wasn't just freeing myself from the consequences of my reckless lifestyle, but I was also branding the guilt and shame of murder onto my heart. These consequences were ones that would follow me for years. 

One day, several years later, God encountered me in a way that forced me to confront what I had hidden for so long. I desperately wanted redemption. I yearned for restoration. I longed for acceptance from a loving Father, but I could never accept His love or grace because I was clinging to the shame of killing my own child. I was clinging to the title that was screamed over me. MURDERER! I didn't deserve to be forgiven for this, because there was no undoing what I had done. 

But God. 

He rescued me when I didn't even know how desperately I needed it. He showed me He wasn't mad at me. He didn't want to punish me. He wanted to set me free. 

Not only that, but in His overwhelming grace and love, God showed me my baby. He told me his name. And he promised me that He was caring for my son until I could be with him to hold him myself. Guys. I have a memory engraved in my mind of me holding my son. The son I never actually met in the physical. I can describe his little face, his head full of black hair, and the soft little blanket that he was swaddled in. God rescued him. 

I know what it's like to make a decision that will follow you around, no matter how put together you make yourself seem. I know what it's like to keep that secret in the darkest corner of your heart. I know what it's like to not allow it to come out because you feel so ashamed and broken that you know you don't deserve anything but to feel the pain forever. 

These poor defenseless babies need our prayers, sure. But I know in my spirit that God is taking amazing care of them. They are in paradise being cared for by the Abba Father of all creation. I mean, there is really no topping that. 

But these moms... These moms need our prayers. They need a love encounter from God. They need to know that we don't condemn them. We don't hate them. We don't want to see them burn. Church, we need to stand up and pray for their salvation, their redemption, and their revelation of who God is and who they are in Him. We were commissioned over 2000 years ago to seek the lost and share the salvation that's already been paid for. We need to show these women a better way before they get to a point of considering an abortion. And for those who've already made the choice- we need to LOVE them without expectation or conditions. 

I assure you, they don't need our condemnation, they've already condemned themselves. They don't need your cruel titles thrown on them, they've already accepted these new names. They need to see and know that there is hope. That there is a God who will not only redeem them, but who will wash away their sins and forget them like they never happened. 

Sure, I had an abortion. I killed my son. But I have accepted the gift of grace from a Father who loves me beyond measure. So I can stand here today and confidently say that I am not a murderer. By His blood, my sins have been taken away and are no more. God has forgotten them, so why wouldn't I? 

Church, let's drop to our knees tonight and cry out for these moms before it's too late. Let's be sure not to shake a judgmental finger and instead reach a kind hand out to a hurting heart. Let's join together and ask Holy Spirit to sweep through the streets of New York and our own cities and change the hearts of those living there. Let's ask God for a supernatural encounter that will bring hope, encouragement, peace, and comfort to a hurting and lost people.

Heavenly Father we come to you tonight to seek your face. You are the One who knows every heart and every need. You are the only One who can rescue those who are lost and hopeless. Show them your glory, God. Show them your unyielding love. Lord, hold these women who are being faced with a choice. Urge them to turn to You and be comforted by your wisdom and loving arms. Show them the Abba Father that you are. Pour out your Spirit on them and overwhelm them with your love and grace. Keep these babies safe in your arms, God. Shield them while in their mother's wombs and keep them from all pain, Lord. You are the only one who knows what to do about these new laws and regulations. You are the only one who can rescue. Have your way, Lord. Your will be done here as it is in Heaven. We love you and we trust you completely. In Jesus Christ's holy name, Amen.