Memorial Box Monday: The Phone Call

This post is part of Memorial Box Monday which Linny started over at A Place Called Simplicity. Stop over to http://www.aplacecalledsimplicity.blogspot.com/ and read other stories of God's faithfulness in the lives of others as they share their memories. You can join us and link up too!

In 1976 my husband entered the seminary after serving in the Air Force for 8 years. We moved our family of 6 to St. Paul MN so he could go to school. After two years of study it was time for his Internship. With our large family there were few places outside of the Twin Cities that could accommodate us, thus only three were offered. A church in northern MN., a church in my hometown of SE Minnesota and a parish out in north central Montana. It would have been so easy to stay in our home in St. Paul, and it would have been easy to go back home to family and friends, or even stay in Minnesota but we wanted to do what God felt was best for us, and felt drawn to Montana. With prayer and much discussion we did end up going to Malta, Montana for Joel's internship.

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Getting there was a bit of a challenge, as we owned our home, and even though the attic of this old house was literally infested with over 200 bats, my husband did not want to sell it. His feet were in cement and at first he was unwilling to discuss it mostly because he was worried about where we would live when we returned for his final year at the seminary. I felt strongly that God would provide, and besides that I was ready to leave that house and the bats behind, so we were definitely at odds with what to do. After much prayer and then a few good talks, we came to the conclusion that God wanted us to sell the house. Just a short time later it sold ~ even with us telling the buyer about the bats. We packed up our U-Haul, 4 kids, 2 cats, and 9 plants, and began our Montana adventure. I drove our little hornet station wagon with 3 of the kids, the cats, and plants in tow, and Joel drove the truck with our oldest son as a passenger.

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Stepping out in faith and moving to Montana for a year was a great decision for us. We met wonderful people, learned a great deal from the Pastor and his wife, and had a fantastic year!

Oh, and the house we needed on our return? Well, about 1 month before we were to return, with my hubby beginning to worry about where we would live......we received a phone call from a seminary student who owned his own home and was going on internship just as we were returning. Someone at the seminary had told him about us, and he and his wife wondered if we wanted to live in their home the year they were gone~! And besides that...if we paid the mortgage, then when they sold the house we would get that year's portion!

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Isn't God amazing. We trusted His guidance, and a shower of blessings came into our lives! Our memories of that year still warm our hearts 32 years later! I think I will need to put a picture of the home provided for us into my Memorial Box as a reminder of God's faithfulness!

Bearing Fruit

"I am the vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful"

John 15:2

This past week I watched the neighbor right behind us prune part of the lilac bushes that separate their property from ours. The middle section went from about 12 feet to 2 feet high! I now have a clear view onto their deck, into their dining room and living room and right out their front window to the house across their street. Needless to say, this made me feel sad, and a bit exposed too.

My husband Joel, ever the optimist, told me that pruning the lilacs was necessary and will result in them growing back fuller. He did express his dismay at how low they pruned them, but assured me they will grow back more beautiful than ever with more blossoms than before. All I can do now is accept the situation and make the best of it while we wait for this bushes to grow once again.

In John we read how the Lord also prunes us so that we will bear more fruit. He gets rid of that which is not fruitful, and nurtures that which is! Sometimes it is difficult to go through a time of pruning, and we may wonder if we will ever be healthy and fruitful again. During these times in our lives we need to trust God. He is the Master Gardener and He knows what he is doing. In due season we will be more fruitful, and just like the lilac bushes others will enjoy the results!

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****Stop over and visit Charlotte and Ginger at Spiritual Sundays to read inspirational posts or link up and share your own. www.bloggerspirit.blogspot.com This week several are linking up for a special woman, Colette, and her journey to healing. Guidepost magazine had a story on her in the Sept. issue and thanks to Kelee Katillac, Colette now has a new "healing room"! Stop over at http://www.katillacshack.com/ and read more.

Thankful Thursday Thinking

Last Friday our oldest daughter, son-in-love, and 2 grandchildren came for a 24 hour visit. Our children do not usually stay longer than that right now, because of the effect it has on our health. We try to talk them into a two day visit, but they are "strict" with us about sticking to these rules. We are hopeful that will change for us soon.

It was such a blessing to see them again after 8 months. We packed a lot of hugs, game playing, visiting, and food fellowship into those 24 hours! I am so grateful today for being able to connect with them once again. And I am so grateful for their willingness to drive over 5 hours one way to see us and turn right around the next day and drive home. We are blessed.

"Love, love love

Thats what its all about

God loves us, we love each other

Mother, Father, sister, brother

Everybody sing and shout

Cause that's what it's all about

It's about love, love, love,

It's about love.."

Sunday School song

Wednesday Wonders of Nature

This basket of blooming ivy geraniums can be seen from our living room window. My husband Joel gave it to me for Mother's Day and after the first blooming, we never saw another flower. With tender loving care the leaves grew big and strong, but there were no blossoms for weeks and weeks....and then all of a sudden the flowers started blooming a week ago, and came back in two different shades as you can see above. They are more beautiful than ever and are heavy with buds that will soon flower!


Sometimes we are like this flowering plant. We look good and have beauty we share, but we need a lot of nuturing to grow deep roots and sturdy shoots and leaves before we blossom. When we take the time to delve deep into God's Word and become stronger in our faith through time, learning, and experience, we are able to blossom~ established and rooted in love, and glorifying God in ways we never thought possible! We, too, are able to be our best with God's help!

"I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your heart through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power together with the saints......"

Ephesians 3:16-18

MBM: A Hand Full of Hair

Memorial Box Monday was started by Linny over at A Place Called Simplicity. On Mondays we link up to share our stories of God's love and faithfulness in our lives. These stories always inspire and strengthen my faith of everyone who reads them. Join us or link up and share your own stories at http://www.aplacecalledsimplicity.blogspot.com/.

Today I would like to share a story of how God protected our son, who was two at the time. We were camping at the Bible camp our friends helped manage up in Canada, and had taken canoes out on the lake to a special rocky point to have a picnic. Our two children ages 3 and 2 were playing near the edge of the water. (I had already prayed for our protection, since being on the water is not my favorite place, and our son had been afraid of water since he was an infant.)

What we did not realize is that the rocky area they were playing on was the top of an underwater cliff, and the water was very deep. I kept an eye on the kids as we talked, so I was the one who saw Matt fall in the water. I jumped up immediately and ran over to grab him, but when I got there he was hardly visible and was being pulled under the cliff top by a strong current. I reached down into the water and came in contact with Matt's hair. His hair was very long and curly...so long people thought he was a girl, but I had been reluctant to cut it. That long hair saved his life that day! I kept a firm grip onto his long hair and pulled him back out from under the cliff and into my arms.

I know that my reluctance to cut his hair was part of God's plan that came together that day and saved our son's life. It helps to remember that story when our son, now a police officer, puts his life in danger every day. God has a plan for his life, too, and will protect him now just like he did as a child. His life is in God's hands.

I will need to put a picture of us from that day into my Memorial Box to remind me of how God loves and protects his children, and hears our prayers.

Something Beautiful

"Therefore, thus says the Lord

If you return, then I will restore you~~

Before me you will stand;

And if you extract the precious from the worthless

You will become my spokesman."

Jeremiah 15: 19

I would like to share a story from Donna Partow's book, "Standing Firm" that speaks to the subject of how our broken places can make us strong.

In Eastern Europe there is a factory that crafts exquisite vases that sell for thousands of dollars. They use a fascinating technique. First the potters spin clay into almost paper thin vases. The vase is so fragile that if you ding it with your fingers it will break. If the vase is flawless, it is turned over to an artist who delicately paints a one-of-a-kind work of art on the surface. When he is finished he lovingly holds up his masterpiece, and then drops it into a large metal box. It smashes into hundreds of tiny pieces!

Another workman takes the box and for days painstakingly glues the vase back together. But no matter how hard he tries, the vase looks ugly. There is no way to hide the cracks. The vase is still fragile, though stronger that it was before the glue.

Finally another artist takes over. This artist works with pounded gold and carefully paints over each and every crack in the vase. The result is not only an exquisite work of art, but a vase that is so strong it is virtually unbreakable.

God is our master craftsman and has formed us exactly the way He wants us to be. At times this means letting us drop, momentarily, and shatter into many pieces. Then, with a deep and abiding love, he puts us back together stronger than ever.

As His children, let's allow Him to make something beautiful from each and every broken place in our lives.

Join Charlotte and Ginger at Spiritual Sundays to read other inspirational posts or link up and share you own. http://www.bloggerspirit.blogspot.com/