When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers,
they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be
burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you.
~ Isaiah 43:2 ~

How in the world, you ask, did it take you three years to buy living room furniture! Well, there were extenuating circumstances. Let me explain.

When we moved three years ago, after 15 years in the same house, most of our furniture was well worn, since it was not new when we bought it; we used it during the growing up years of three children, and hosted parenting classes and home groups in our home for many years. Since we were hiring movers due to volume and distance, we tried to get rid of everything that we didn’t intend to use long term. This led to some interesting situations, like the girls sleeping on their mattresses on the floor for six months, and not having living room furniture for three years.

Our new home – new to us, but 27 years old, has three living areas – a family room in the basement, which is the coolest room in the summer and the warmest in the winter due to a wood-burning fireplace that we use almost constantly, a sunroom off the kitchen, which faces the woods and a small lake, and the normal living room.

Needless to say, the family room quickly became our favorite, since we’ve always wanted a fireplace; it was cool in the summer, and walked out to the woods and lake. Since we had only brought our futon and a couple of chairs along, they ended up in the family room. The sunroom was furnished with lawn chairs and the living room quickly became a storage area.

For the last three years this house has been a work in progress.

Since we came from a 100-year-old house, we thought of one that was 27 years old as “new”, but we quickly found out that most things in a house last about… 27 years! We also went from a three-car garage to a two-car garage. There was no place for my husband to set up all his woodworking equipment. so we made plans to build everyone’s dream – a pole barn! Perhaps this is a Minnesota “farm” thing, so I’ll insert a photo here for you city folk.

Anyway, to make a long story short, or at least shorter, we ended up moving boxes and boxes from garage to house to garage and back to house several times while we built our pole barn, replaced the deck that was all but falling off the house, put in a small kitchen in the basement, and replaced 500 sq. feet of the brick floor that all McDonalds have.

As you can imagine, this all took money, and since we don’t go into debt, we had to save for each step, which took time. Plus, we desperately needed a place to store things – so that is what we continued to use the living room for.

During this time we did buy the girls beds and got them settled. Then we began our hunt for furniture for the sunroom off the kitchen and the living room. As we went from furniture store to furniture store we discovered some things.

First – instead of two opinions we now had five, since our adult and nearly adult children had opinions too. I remember Dan saying, “When did they all get opinions?”

Second, since we were going from a 100-year-old Victorian house that we all loved, and liked the style, it was difficult to go to a newer home that was very contemporary. We quickly decided we were not “contemporary” people and decided that the mission style furniture would look best in this house, since it had the straight lines of the house but still didn’t look so sterile. 

Third, when you have five people trying to make a choice, at least one of the people isn’t going to like what the other four like.

One day after months of shopping without making any headway, our children told my husband that I was entirely too indecisive. Well! He jokingly told me that I had to start having strong feelings about things and making some choices.

Shortly after this discussion, one of our daughters came to me in a store and said she had something to show me. As we walked toward the item, she turned to me and said, “I have strong feelings about this!” Taking the “hint” I too decided to have strong feelings about it and immediately purchased the item. Of course, it wasn’t a big piece of furniture, but a small accent piece.

Thus we started a little family joke that we were finally able to use to decorate our living room. If someone really liked a piece of furniture, picture or accent piece, they would say to the others, “I feel very strongly about this!” The rest of us would look with fresh eyes and we slowly but surely found our living room coming together – and we all like the end result.

We all agree: “We feel very strongly about this!”

James 1:17
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

Finding Joy in the Journey,

Phyllis

Phyllis Sather
Proclaiming God’s Faithfulness at:
http://www.Phyllis-Sather.com

© 2008 Phyllis Sather
All rights reserved
Contact me at: Phyllis@Phyllis-Sather.com

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened unto you. For every one that asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks it will be opened. Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him?” Matthew 7:7-11

This week I want to revisit the process we went through to find the cabin we’ve been renting for 18 years. As I said in my last post, a cabin we could go back to year after year and make family memories was something Dan and I really desired and had prayed about often. If that was all we had done I doubt that we ever would have found one.

These verses in Matthew show a progression.

Asking – To me this means seeking the Lord’s will in prayer; making our desires known to the Lord and asking Him to provide or to change our hearts if this isn’t something He has for us.

Seeking – In this situation it meant reading newspaper ads and asking friends and family if they knew anyone who had a cabin they wanted to rent. One summer we drove to a number of resorts and looked over what they had available. Even though we didn’t think we wanted to be in a resort setting, we were checking out all our options.

Knocking - We made reservations and stayed at several different places, as I mentioned in my last post. We didn’t just sit around and wait for the Lord to “drop” something into our laps. We kept praying that He would reveal what He had for us, since He often has different ideas of what we actually need, and we were open to having Him change our desires before He fulfilled them.

Often times I’m guilty of just asking and expecting the Lord to provide without me doing my part of seeking and knocking. In this instance our seeking and knocking took several years.

When it takes years to see a desire fulfilled my tendency is to give up – to grow weary and just give up. This almost happened the year we rented a cabin that had fleas in one of the bedrooms. What a mess that was! It was very discouraging.

I know Dan was hesitant to try again when I found this ad in a local Christian newspaper. He was weary, and so was I, but I also had just a glimmer of hope that this might be the one. It turned out to be all we had hoped for and more.

One of the biggest blessings has been that we are within just a few miles of so many family members. We’ve done a lot of entertaining during our stays here because both Dan and I have family and friends in the area and this cabin has been the ideal place for us all to gather. We know Dan’s aunts and cousins so much better than we would have if had to rely on “visits” specifically to see them. They just count on our being here this time of year and we make provisions to get together.

Last night we visited an old friend whose wife died this past year. He owns over 100 acres of beautiful wooded land and we were talking about how they bought it. He told us they used to bike in that area. This land and farm home was vacant for over two years and he and his wife often said, “Who in the world would ever buy that mess?” Then his wife received an inheritance and they began looking for some land with a small home on it. Their realtor took them – you guessed it – to this very land. As they looked at it with new eyes, they realized it was just what they wanted and that the Lord had held it for them for over two years. They’ve remodeled this old farm house into a quiet retreat of a home that they have used to bless many weary travelers. It’s always one of our favorite places to visit during our time here.

What is it that you have desired for the Lord to provide? Are you asking? Seeking? Knocking? Are you being persistent and patient? The Lord’s provision is perfect in every way.

I want to encourage you today to be busy doing your part while you wait on the Lord.

Finding Joy in the Journey,
Phyllis

Phyllis Sather
Proclaiming God’s Faithfulness at:
http://www.Phyllis-Sather.com
© 2008 Phyllis Sather
All rights reserved
Contact me at: Phyllis@Phyllis-Sather.com

Early in our marriage Dan and I had a desire to find a cabin that we could rent and return to year after year. We had some specific things we were looking for – privacy was high on our list.  We didn’t want to stay at a resort with lots of business; we wanted to be away together as a family where we could enjoy nature and each other. We couldn’t even think of owning one at but we did desire to have a special place to make great family memories each year.

We drove hundreds of miles and stayed at some terrible places - such as the cabin that had fleas and the one without water in the lake. Then I thought I found what sounded like just the one, but Dan was uncertain if he wanted to try and experience another failure.

This cabin was owned by a Christian family who was hoping to cut their expenses by renting it out to a few select people. We had to go for an interview and they wanted references. It was about a half hour’s drive from two of Dan’s aunts, so we invited ourselves to stay with one of them for the weekend and arranged for our ‘interview”.
 
Eric was just 2 months old, Rebekah was two and Emily was four when we met with Mr.  & Mrs. Bear – yes their name really is Bear and we call it the Bear’s cabin. We all took to each other immediately and they decided we would be great renters and we loved the cabin.

It was located on a bay and they owned all the lots in the bay so it was very private. It had three bedrooms, a shower, dishwasher, and washer and dryer – what more could a family with three little ones hope for. A bonus we hadn’t hoped for was the closeness to Dan’s relatives and my sister and her husband who bought a cabin in the area a few years later. This turned out to be a real blessing as we’ve enjoyed many family times each year.

This is the 17th year we have gone to this cabin. Some years while Eric had leukemia we went both spring and fall since he needed to be close to pediatric oncologists and you can’t find them everywhere. Since it was only a couple of hours from ours it was an ideal place for us to vacation.

Psalm 37:4 says: “Take delight in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.”

We’ve really been blessed to see this happen in our lives as the Lord prepared this vacation retreat for our family. We have so many traditions that we can’t do them all in one trip anymore. Of course, in our family if we do anything more than once it becomes a tradition.

Some of our fun things are:

Fishing 

Canoeing

Visiting relatives and friends

Pet turtles and snakes

Long walks on country roads

Midnight rides in our PJs while listening to a book on tape

S’mores for breakfast

Silly dancing to the old songs on the player piano

Fireworks – they’re legal in Wisconsin

Breakfast at Jo MaMa’s

Collecting and watching Monarch butterfly caterpillars hatch

Trips to Bargain Bill’s

Father’s Day – we are always there for this and celebrate with breakfast in bed

Rebekah’s half birthday – since her’s is January 5th we celebrate here with family

Eric’s re-birthday – Eric gave his life to the Lord on the dock here so we remember his commitment during this time

Our desires have been more than fulfilled as all three children agree that this is always their favorite vacation.

I hope you enjoy some of our photos and my reminiscing as we prepare for this year’s trip to the Bear’s cabin. I hope my story inspires you to ask the Lord to fulfill some of your heart’s desires.

Finding Joy in the Journey,
Phyllis

Phyllis Sather
Proclaiming God’s Faithfulness at:
http://www.Phyllis-Sather.com

© 2008 Phyllis Sather
All rights reserved
Contact me at: Phyllis@Phyllis-Sather.com

When I read this entry out of Oswald Chamber’s book, “My Utmost for His Highest” earlier this week I was struck by several things.

First, the first paragraph – “…God will not do what we can do. Oh, but I want Him to – Make me thin, make me a better wife, mother…
Second, the line in bold in the second paragraph: “Beware of the tendency of asking the way when you know it perfectly well.”  Ouch! That one hurt. How often I go to the Lord with the same old questions - questions that I already know the answers to, and I just haven’t acted upon them.

Third, the urging of the second and third paragraphs to take the initiative – I’m an organizer – I’m used to taking the initiative – in some things. Things I like to do, for instance organizing my home, planning meals, delegating chores. They get done just fine. Where I fall into trouble is when it starts to get personal – like taking the initiative to restore a relationship, being the first to apologize, making better use of my time, or exercising the way the Lord has told me to dozens of times… Those are the places I fail.

Help me Lord to do those things you have already asked me to do.
Take the Initiative by Oswald Chambers

“Add to your faith virtue…” (“Furnish your faith with resolution.” (Moffatt.) 2 Peter 1:5

“Add” means there is something we have to do. We are in danger of forgetting that we cannot do what God does, and that God will not do what we can do. We cannot save ourselves nor sanctify ourselves, God does that, but God will not give us good habits. He will not give us character; He will not make us walk aright. We have to do all that ourselves, we have to work out the salvation God has worked in. “Add” means to get into the habit of doing things, and in the initial stages it is difficult. To take the initiative is to make a beginning, to instruct yourself in the way you have to go.

Beware of the tendency of asking the way when you know it perfectly well. Take the initiative, stop hesitating, and take the first step. Be resolute when God speaks, act in faith immediately on what He says, and never revise your decisions. If you hesitate when God tells you to do a thing, you endanger your standing in grace. Take the initiative, take it yourself, take the step with your will now, and make it impossible to go back. Burn your bridges behind you – “I will write that letter”; “I will pay that debt.” Make the thing inevitable.

We have to get into the habit of hearkening to God about everything, to form the habit of finding out what God says. If when a crisis comes we instinctively turn to God, we know that the habit has been formed. We have to take the initiative where we are, not where we are not.

Oswald Chambers in “My Utmost for His Highest

Finding Joy in the Journey,
Phyllis

Phyllis Sather
Proclaiming God’s Faithfulness at:
http://www.Phyllis-Sather.com

© 2008 Phyllis Sather
Contact me at: Phyllis@Phyllis-Sather.com

For years my husband has been doodling every time he has to sit and listen for any length of time - sermons, teachings, school. One time our pastor thought he was taking great notes, until he saw his doodling. Over the years, 24 in July, I’ve come to think of it as art.

Art or doodles… you decide.

Slide show

 Let me know what you think by leaving a comment with your choice.

 Finding joy in the journey,

 Phyllis

Phyllis Sather
Proclaiming God’s Faithfulness at:
http://www.Phyllis-Sather.com

© 2008 Phyllis Sather
All rights reserved
Contact me at: Phyllis@Phyllis-Sather.com