June 5, 2018, 4:30 a.m.

I couldn’t sleep and neither could Derek. He was thinking about buying a particular house.

“… ‘Ask the Lord your God for a sign…’ Isaiah 7:11. …There is no reason why we should not ask for great things. Without a doubt, we will receive them if we ask in faith, having the courage to wait with patient perseverance for Him and meanwhile doing those things that are within our power to do. It is not within our power to create the wind or to change its direction, but we can raise our sails to catch it when it comes.” “Streams in the Desert” – June 5

I told him about buying our home. The most important thing is – location, location, location! And how we prayed for 10 months before we closed on it.

My conversation took a downward turn. I realized it when Derek said, “Shouldn’t you be talking to Dad about this?”

Oh, smack!

I read my Bible and saw I would need to share it. (Can’t I just post to instagram.com/frugalfishorg/, God? At least there I may look clever. I don’t want to write about my failures!) 

Being a mature, obedient Christian…

…I took a nap.

Yeah, I was avoiding and procrastinating. (In my defense, I only got 4 hours of sleep on Sunday.)

When I got up, I read, “One Thousand Gifts”…

“… ‘For God does speak – now one way, now another’ (Job 33:14 NIV). One way His finger writing words in stars (Psalms 19:1-3), His eternal power written naked in all creation (Romans 1:20); and now another way, the sharp Holy Writ on the page that makes a careful incision into a life, blade words that kindly cut the tissue back to where soul and spirit join, tenderly laying bare the intents of the heart (Hebrews 4:12).” “One Thousand Gifts”  – Ann Voskamp

That blade did a little work on me this morning! I did not like what it exposed! I did not want to share it. Then, I remembered my most read posts are usually the most humbling or embarrassing.

I still procrastinated. I picked up the “World Challenge Pulpit Series Newsletter” Mom had dropped off…

“As a ministry leader, I occasionally ask myself and my co-laborers: ‘Why are we here? Why do we do what we do? What’s our purpose?’ …The answer is ‘We’re here to minister to Jesus.’ …I’ve seen a terrible pattern…It began with the church-growth movement, a phenomenon that birthed the idea that corporate strategies could advance the kingdom of God. …their purpose… ‘We’re here to get bigger, to expand, to bring in more.’ …” “Intimacy with God – Out of His Presence Come the Works of Jesus” by Gary Wilkerson, “World Challenge Pulpit Series” May 21, 2018

Smack, again!

I can’t share a failure just to get more readers! It relieved me, that I didn’t need to share details. But also saddened me. I forgot my purpose – to show you the Bible speaks to your life every day.

I decided the best thing I could do was…

…Catch up on email.

I was afraid of what God would show me – so I started on the bottom.

“Does God use broken people to do big things? I believe He does. But you’ll never see it happen if you don’t look beneath the surface. We imagine what we could be if we had no weaknesses. We’re blinded to what we could become if we embraced our weakness as an opportunity to showcase God’s strength. I know you have that thing you wish you could do better. …But sometimes, what God leaves out is just as important as what He puts in. It’s what teaches you to rely on Him. …It’s what forces you to pick up a pen and use what you have for the glory of God.” “What God Didn’t Put in You is Just as Important as What He Did” Steven Furtick, In an email dated 9-28-17

Double smack!!

My only recourse was to…

Read Facebook.

A memory from a few years ago was the first thing I read:

“God doesn’t ask us to do hard things only once. He asks us to do it again and again until it is easy.” #whateverittakes 6-2-2016

I procrastinated the day away. But at 4:30 a.m., on June 6th, it was all there waiting for me. God used several sources to teach me. He is a good Father.

“1 Thessalonians 2:11-12, ‘With each of you we were like a father with his child, holding your hand, whispering encouragement, (12) showing you step-by-step how to live well before God, who called us into His own kingdom, into this delightful life.’ ” The Message

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