"Krista, When Are You Starting a Tweeter Account?" asked the 5 year-old

August is just around the corner and in the blink of an eye, school and a more rigid routine will be here.  This is the first summer Michael and I haven't been at the ice rink everyday waiting for Krista  while she skates.  I'm sad for Krista who wishes she could skate more; but at the same time, I confess that it's been a nice treat to just hang out with the kids at home, new friends and have very little on my schedule!

We picked out a Lego set for Michael and he's been having so much fun building again! I love what he said as we were building and talking about growing up...."Maybe I'll be an engineer when I grow up.  Then I can build houses for people who are poor and they can have it for free."

I love his heart! I miss our Legos which are somewhere in storage in Somewhere, USA! We've been collecting Lego Creator houses (I think we have 3 now) and have the fire station, the police mobile station and the marina.  Our intentions are to build a Lego city in Michael's bedroom once we are moved into our "real" house... someday!  

House Update:  Well, we are still waiting to hear what's the hold up on our latest offer.  We upped our offer a week ago and our realtor is trying to get some answers from the listing agent.  And in the meantime, we're plagued with questions such as "Should we withdraw our offer?"  "Should we continue to wait?" "Is this delay in action a divine sign to move on?"  I don't know!!! I am still looking as new inventory comes up on the MLS, but there hasn't been much to look at lately.

Every day I'm assaulted by doubts and questions, but I have to make a mental effort (Phil 4:13) to recall God's faithfulness and choose to trust in Him even when things don't make sense.  Or when they're not going as fast as I'd like! It's a daily battle and we're taking it one day at a time! I love knowing that God's Hands are on us whatever season in life we're in.  I'll keep you posted with updates when I can :o)


I opened a facebook account for Krista so she could stay in touch with her friends. We talked about boundaries and friend policies now that she has an account.  But one day, Michael asked her, "Krista, when are you starting a Tweeter account?" When she responded by laughing hysterically because he pronounced it "Tweeter" instead of "Twitter," he said, "You know, the one with the little bird?" None of us have a clue on how he even knows about Twitter!!! Don't you love his pronunciation of it?!?

We have been so blessed!!! Here's a quick recap...
We are meeting so many new friends and reconnecting with old friends!!!  Krista is getting plugged in with the youth group and loves Impact. Michael is enjoying Promise Land and his new friends Daniel and James :o) Jacob is overloaded with work, so please keep him in your prayers.  I'm grateful he's employed and I'm thankful I get to stay home with my favorite daughter and son, catch up on correspondence with friends and enjoy a relaxed schedule!!! We currently have no mortgage (yet!) or car payment hanging over our heads.  My favorite sister is coming to visit with the family in a few weeks!!! Woo Hoo!!!

Wish you were here, too :o)

 I love what Psalm 108:3-6 says from the New Living Translation (thank you, Biblegateway.com):

³ I will thank you, Lord, among all the people. I will sing your praises among the nations.

⁴ For your unfailing love is higher than the heavens. Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.

⁵ Be exalted, O God, above the highest heavens. May your glory shine over all the earth.  

⁶ Now rescue your beloved people. Answer and save us by your power.
 
The praise song by The Maranatha Singers, "Be Exalted, O God" is running through my head right now!

The House Hunting Roller Coaster Adventure Chapter 2

A brief recap:  Earlier this month, we saw a house that had the potential to be "the one."  But, two other offers came through and the owners opted to take the 3rd offer.  I continued to look at houses that weren't even close to "the one that got away"  and then we stumbled on a short sale house that was even better than the original "the one that got away...." Jacob saw it and we put in an offer on Saturday afternoon.... Fast forward to NOW...

Current mini update:  As I mentioned in my most recent email, our offer was one of three offers.  We found out that our offer was the highest one but one of the other offer's was an all cash offer that was low. The seller's attorney is talking to the lender to see which offer should be submitted.  Of course, this doesn't mean it will have formal approval.  It will still have to go through the process but will determine which one the seller signs and submits. Translation: Keep waiting :o) 

NOTE:  Short Sales should really be renamed Long Sales because I fail to see the short in this process! Of course, I'm aware that in Real Estate terms, it probably means something totally different...

So, please keep praying for these specific items....

1. The lender will find favor with our offer
2. There will be minimal delay for approval from both lenders (the present owners have 2 mortgages)
3. This entire process will be wrapped up in less time than the usual time a short sale of this nature takes (it would be nice to be in the house by October at the latest!!!)!!!

Years ago, we heard a sermon at our church, LOCC, on the Lord's Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13).  After the service, we were all handed little cards with the original Lord's Prayer from the KJV on one side and on the other side, a "today's" version of The Lord's Prayer...

I wanted to share both of the versions of The Lord's Prayer with you from Matthew 6:9-13.  Here's the "Today's" version:

     My Father, always near me, always available to me, may Your Name be treasured, loved and respected beyond any other I know.  More than anything, I want Your rule to be completed in my life.  May Your will be done all around me today just like it is done in Heaven.  Give me today the thing that I need for today.
     And please forgive me for the ways I have offended You, and give me the strength to forgive everyone who offends me in any way.  Keep me out of trouble and deliver me from everything that's bad.  For You are the One who is in charge and I need Your power in my life every moment of the day.  All the credit for who I am and what I will be is Yours.  And that's just the way I want it, today and forevermore. 

And, here's the original from the King James Version of the Bible:  Matthew 6:9-13 (Thank you, BibleGateway.com)

⁹ After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

¹⁰ Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

¹¹ Give us this day our daily bread.

¹² And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

¹³ And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

We're trusting God that His timing will be perfect.  He knows our needs and the desires of our heart and so we choose to rest in the Shadow of the Almighty.

Psalm 27:13-14!!!

Krista returned from SandBlast yesterday evening with rosy cheeks, a tan and lots of hilarious stories!!! She made some great friends and absolutely LOVED it at SandBlast!!! I love that she can't wait to return next year---Our prayers were answered :o)

Okay, yesterday was "the day" we were supposed to find out which offer the owners decided to accept.  But nothing happened.  Then, we found out that the husband was out of town and was returning late last night.  I felt a peace about waiting because I knew choosing to trust in God was His Will for me as opposed to spending my free time dreaming about my renovation plans for the house!

I posted our prayer request on Facebook and through email (thanks for praying and for all the encouraging words!!!) and felt your love!!!

A few minutes ago, our realtor called me and delivered the news:  Another offer came in and the owners took it.  In the span of a few seconds, a flurry of emotions swept through me.  Finally! We got an answer instead of being in limbo land.  I felt a sting of rejection.  Ouch!  I felt disappointed. Oh man! I was so ready to move out of here and get settled! I felt doubt.  Should we have upped our offer?!?  And then, I gave myself a mental kick in the pants.  Duh! STOP the doubts! STOP the whining! Get OUT of Egypt, you Moron (a reference from my Bible study on Hebrews in the fall with one of the most hilarious Bible teacher's ever, Lauren Rush)!!! 

As quickly as those other emotions came in and then got quickly booted out, I felt God's peace flood through me. God. Is. In. Control.  Either He IS or He's not, right?  Trust is a daily choice and when you think back through God's Word and his record of keeping promises and being faithful, you can know with peace that He's got you covered.  God knows our needs and He knows what's best for us because He's our faithful Father!!! Letting go and surrendering the desires of your heart equates to pure freedom in just letting God do His thing!!! 

An email from Bible teacher, Michele Telfer is a nugget of wisdom I want to share with you if you're waiting on an answer from God, too.  She said, "If the answer to this is "No" ... I always say don't see it as God's rejection, but God's protection."  Amen, Amen and Amen!!!

I love BibleGateway.com!!! The Amplified Bible puts Psalm 27:13-14 in this way...

¹³ [What, what would have become of me] had I not believed that I would see the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living!

¹⁴ Wait and hope for and expect the Lord; be brave and of good courage and let your heart be stout and enduring. Yes, wait for and hope for and expect the Lord.

So, get out of that pit of doubt, and come to Jesus!!! 

Walking Worthy of Our Calling...

Tonight, Jacob, Michael and I were playing some crazy rounds of Bejeweled on the iPad (it's such a relaxing and brainless game!) and Michael recounted a funny conversation he had with Jacob. Jacob had asked Michael what rock stars do and Michael started strumming his stomach (his version of air guitar!) and Jacob asked him, "Are you itchy?"  Michael just thought that was the funniest thing ever!!!

As I was getting Michael's toothbrush ready, he exclaimed, "Mommy! I just looked at the time and it's past 10pm.  No wonder Bejeweled was so much fun!" We have an early morning tomorrow so it definitely wasn't wise to let him stay up so late.  But then, I think he'll always remember snuggling with us on the bed while we talk, laughed and played Bejeweled! This is the stuff memories are made of, right?!?

We picked up some cookies from this specialty cookie shop near our place and we were talking about favorite cookies.  I asked the kids what they would pick if they only had one last cookie to eat.  Krista's answer was dependent on who made the cookies and when it was Michael's turn to talk, he replied like this...

Michael:  My last cookie would be... (long pause) I wouldn't have a last cookie because I love cookies and sugar too much! Don't remind me!

Since most of our stuff is in storage in Somewhere, USA, we've been shopping like crazy so Krista can leave for camp with everything that's on the "Things to Bring" list for SandBlast.  We got the last three things today---a sleeping bag (this one isn't like the one in storage that's perfect if you're stranded on a mountain when the temps drop!), batteries for her nebulizer (I'm glad she thought to check the current batteries before going to camp!) and a beach towel (Never mind the gazillion of beach towels that are boxed away, but then I think, oh, what's one more, right?!?).  Whew!

We will miss her terribly while she's away... having the time of her life for the first time at SandBlast!!! It makes me think about the future and how we have her for only 3 more years before she embarks on her college adventure.   Where does the time go?!?  I wonder what I will regret over when she grows up and moves out of the house.  I'm pretty sure I won't be regretting that I didn't clean the house more!!! Have I scarred her emotionally?  Mentally?!? Will she make wise choices?!?  Will she remember that the man she marries has to have a mother that I can be friends with?!? How can we adequately prepare her for surviving in our world "harmless as a dove but wise as a serpent?"

Ahhhhh, but the reality is that Krista isn't mine.  Or ours.  She never was.  She belongs to God and only He knows the plans for her life and how long she will be here touching our lives every single day.

Our job in the meantime means that we lead by example, mirror God's love before her, admit our failings (and ask for forgiveness!), teach her in the ways of God, admonish her in love and encourage her to walk worthy of her calling.

As Paul writes in Ephesians 4:1b-3 (I love how The Amplified Bible says it!)...
"...walk (lead a life) worthy of the [divine] calling to which you have been called [with behavior that is a credit to the summons to God’s service,

² Living as becomes you] with complete lowliness of mind (humility) and meekness (unselfishness, gentleness, mildness), with patience, bearing with one another and making allowances because you love one another.

³ Be eager and strive earnestly to guard and keep the harmony and oneness of [and produced by] the Spirit in the binding power of peace."

Imagine what the body of Christ would be like and what an impact we would have on our world today if we all lived this way!

 

"Bad Card, Bad Card, Bad Card, Good Card, Bad Card, Good Card, Good Card!" and Other Things Said By A Five-Year-Old Boy

When Michael was four-years-old, we got him his very own "My First UNO Cards with Thomas & Friends" but we found the cards to be limited compared to a regular deck of UNO cards.  We recently located the UNO cards and Monopoly Deal cards (we sent them ahead with Jacob when he was flying back and forth between here and Cali on weekends) and have been playing with Michael.

I think it's so funny when we're dealing out the cards that he rates every card out loud as either "good card" or "bad card" so we all have a good idea if we're going to get creamed with the Wild Draw Four cards or with the Draw Two cards in his hand.  And, it's hilarious when he wins, because he raises his two little arms up in the air and waves his hands! He's learning to win and lose gracefully and with good sportsmanship :o)

Today in the middle of an UNO game, Michael put his face in front of me so we were touching noses and he remarks, "I observe your eyes are blurry!" He is a hoot! He's learning how to play Monopoly Deal so that he can join in our Monopoly Deal marathon when my sister and her family come to visit sometime in the future!

I am loving this season of  transition and life with the kids! We're spending time with old and new friends, catching up on playing games that we normally don't have the time for (hello, iPad, Tri-Ominoes and card games!) and just hanging out.  We have so much to be grateful for and so often, it's easy getting caught up in the busyness of life that we don't take the time to stop and praise Him! We try to play something we call "The Thankful game" where we randomly take turns giving God thanks for the big and mundane things in life. 

I pray that our children will learn to be grateful in good times and in tough times.  I pray that they will observe and remember God's faithfulness as they grow up and praise our Heavenly Father for every good gift.  And hopefully, they will share our stories of God's faithfulness with their own children, too, someday.

I love how David puts it in Psalm 79:13 (from the NLT)...
"Then we your people, the sheep of your pasture, will thank you forever and ever, praising your greatness from generation to generation."

How about you? Are you leaving a legacy of thankfulness behind?

July Edition of Five Star Books & More by the Reading Mom

Happy July!!!

My newsletter for this month is posted, so click on the tab above for Five Star Books & More and you'll find it :o)

Happy Reading!!!

Blessings & Love,

Susan Choy Lee aka The Reading Mom
Jer 29:11-14a

It's A God Thing!!!

Jacob and I are so grateful for all our praying friends and family!!! We fell in love with this house (but not with the bathrooms since they are in need of a face lift or possibly major surgery!!!) because the floor plan allows us to host a nice sized small group comfortably,  have a space for the children to play in a separate area from our small group and have room to host visiting friends (yes, YOU!). The ministry opportunities in this house are endless!!!

After putting in our offer (and signing and initialing lots of paperwork!), we got a counter which we responded to immediately.  Another counter was offered and last night, we made our final counter offer to their counter offer (whew! It's sounding a little crazy so I hope you're able to follow this!)! Meanwhile, I've been researching  bathroom vanities, counter tops, sinks and hardware, toilets, etc.!

Well today in church (during our Tough Questions Sunday School class), we got a call from our realtor.  Now normally, I would have run out of the room to take the call, but I felt a peace about just leaving things in God's hands knowing that this call would confirm that this was "the one" God intended for us... or not, right?!?  I sent a text to our realtor that I would take her call after class because the class was so interesting I didn't want to miss any of it!

When class was over, I contacted the realtor and she informed me that the owners weren't ready to accept our final offer (they had only been on the market for a few days so I can understand where they're coming from).  She encouraged us to talk about it and see if we wanted to change our offer, but Jacob and I felt a peace about the decision to walk away from the house now.  The peace I felt about the decision to walk away can only be explained that it's a God thing since I had already envisioned myself in that beautiful house (with the beautiful bar stools and everything updated, of course!!!)...!!!

As much as I loved that house, I'm extremely excited about these two things...

1. God has clearly shown us His Will by closing the door at this time (seriously, how much clearer can He be?!?)

2. God must have something even better for us so I'm content to let Him be in control and let go (again, so NOT me!!!)!!!

Ephesians 3:20 is the Scripture verse that continually resonates in my heart.  I love how The Amplified Bible puts it (thank you, Biblegateway.com!!!)...

²⁰ Now to Him Who, by (in consequence of) the [action of His] power that is at work within us, is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly, far over and above all that we [dare] ask or think [infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams]—

²¹ To Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations forever and ever. Amen (so be it).

Thank you for your prayers and walking with us through this journey of faith!!! You.  Are.  Loved!!!