Another miraculous encounter with God

In class today we were talking about how when God calls you, He for one really doesn't accept "no" for an answer and for two has already prepared you in advance for what He is calling you to do. Like in our discussion of Moses. God called him from within a burning bush when Moses was a ripe 80 years old. Moses thought, me? "Who am I," he said. Well God had started preparing him from birth to lead his people out of Egypt. How else would he have been spared his life (when all Hebrew boys under the age 2 years were being thrown into the river) only to be raised in Pharaoh's house as royalty. Then to identify with his people and be thrown out of Egypt to become a shepherd. His experience with the Pharaoh and his experience leading dumb sheep both were huge training opportunities for what God had already in store for him. The Bible tells us Ephesians 2:10, for we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Now, I believe with all my heart God wants us in J-town for a reason. He has put us through many trials and brought us through many seasons in our life. We are getting pretty used to God's movement in our lives. Well, I say used to it like it is becoming frivolous, but it is not. Every time He moves or speaks to me/us it is a major deal and it brings me to awe at His masterful plan, His power, His unyielding love... Oh, how I could praise His name in every way possible!!! Just today He showed His constant presence and concern for us in a very tangible way. Now without going into too much detail, this past week satan (the vile thing he is) tried to turn us against our church. He used methods similar to what God has used in getting our attention in the past telling us to leave a church. The only difference this time was that what satan was telling us was not in accordance with scripture. We got our feelings hurt, not directly caused by someone, we just felt that maybe the leaders of our church weren't used to dealing with small children and had forgotten what it was like to have them everywhere you go. Anyhow... we had bowed out of our small group to solve a problem we had convinced ourselves we were causing (one of childcare issues) and went to bed last night a little discouraged because we really wanted to be involved in this group. This morning at church the first thing that happened was that the leader of our small group came and talked to us and told us we were not a problem and that he really wanted us in the group. (Now we had convinced ourselves that they would probably be glad not to have to deal with us and just say OK.) Then the preacher came to us, called us out of class, and I thought oh no what is this about. I thought we had started something by leaving our group. He handed us a card from the church family with a huge amount of money to cover expenses while we are traveling to seek medical care for Ollie. If this wasn't God saying "HOLD ON, I PUT YOU HERE FOR A REASON AND THIS IS WHERE I WANT YOU!", then I don't know how else the bush could be burning so flamboyantly without being consumed! I fought tears (mostly unsuccessfully) all morning and am in tears now. How could I have let that snake into my thoughts. How could I have thought something bad about a group of believers who have blessed me, encouraged me, taught me, lead me, befriended me, made me a part of their family... (me, I mean us). Once again I was operating on assumptions. Those that have followed me from our two previous churches (neither of which were following the Bible) and our experiences there. Both of those instances God kept telling us to leave and we kept (I kept) making excuses. Finally, it takes a huge whale to get us to leave both churches. We have been swallowed by so many now, it is becoming a second home (inside the gut of the big fish). Oh well, not this time. This time we listened to the deceiver and God showed us faster than a full day could pass that that was NOT Him telling us that! I just wish everyone would learn to hear God like this. I can't tell you what it is like to have such PROOF He exists. I say proof because I have heard Him, seen Him move, felt His presence, I know Him... How could
I experience Him this way if He were not REAL and ever present!

Anyway, Lord, I know You have plans for our family, I see You want us here and You are most certainly preparing us for some work You have planned for us. Just keep molding us into what You desire. Thank You for clearing up our misunderstanding, I'm sorry I thought that was You... What disgust You must have had; it's no wonder You acted so quickly. To have Your name dragged through the mud, even if it was just in my head... I'm sorry!