Expect the Unexpected

The image to your right is the exterior to what we hope will be our home. Yes, it is very soon after so many other things have happened for us. If nothing else, we're being reminded that the Lord's schedule is very different than ours. The story you're about to read should have been expected, considering who the Lord is, who our realtor is, and who we have become.

Natasha and I have been looking for a permanent home here since November. We were blessed with a house-sitting opportunity, but we knew the Lord would have to open some other door relatively soon, since we can only be here through the summer. We've looked in more homes than we can remember, and we've consistently felt that our realtor needs to be involved in the whole process.

Our realtor is not only good at her job, but she is in love with the Lord. She has been praying with us constantly since we met for a smooth transition to the town and this particular ministry. She definitely walks in the Spirit.

Not long ago, Natasha felt strongly that our realtor was going to find our home. One week ago today, she (the realtor) called me at the church to say there was a hot new listing that many of the realtors seemed to love. It's in a nice area of the community and gorgeous inside. There was already a list of people to see the home. After some consultation (i.e. Natasha saying, "We need to see this NOW!"), we went to the house that day. If we ever felt a strong sense of "This is it!" since we were married, it was that afternoon. Less than 36 hours later, our offer was accepted and we began meeting conditions for the purchase of this, the Lord's home.

This was decidedly not my timing. The night we saw the home, before our second look, I spent a lot of time praying. I kept telling the Lord that too much was happening too fast. I kept getting silence. When I finally asked the Lord if He agreed with me, He said, "I am with you. What's too fast for that?" We went back the next morning, and I've never felt that kind of peace.

Now we're praying to the Lord, believing Him that this sense of peace was the revelation of His will for us. We're close to meeting the conditions, after which we will close on the house later this summer. We received a very encouraging e-mail from our realtor, who is now a dear friend and sister in Christ, reminding us that this isn't our property to begin with. This is the Lord's, and He will see to it that He uses it for His glory, His kingdom, and His ministry. While this is an exciting time, we invite you to believe with us in Jesus' name that the next two weeks will progress smoothly and that people will find restoration, healing, encouragement, challenge, peace, etc., in our/the Lord's home. We are in awe of what He is doing around us and how He is revealing more of His character through it all. We are humbled to know Him more through these intensely packed weeks. Thanks for your prayer.

(FYI, the house has a front and back deck, a great yard, lots of landscaping, three bedrooms, one and half bathrooms, a laundry room, utility room, sauna (used for storage by the current inhabitants), storage, family/small groups room in walk-out basement with propane woodstove, living room with propane fireplace, dining room, big kitchen, breakfast nook, mudroom, more storage than I expected in a relatively old home, a shed, a fence around the back yard, a double-wide driveway, and a location just on the edge of town to satisfy my desire to be near civilization and Natasha's desire to be in the country. Yes, it's quite perfect.)