EVERYTHING went wrong

6/26/12 Tuesday

          We stay amazed at the hand of God on our lives. So much happens it is hard to keep up with, but keep up we do. Often times the things that happen don’t look or feel good. In fact it can sometimes be quite depressing when nothing seems to work and it is hard to see a good future ahead. But we will trust in the Lord. The bible says “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose”.

7/6/12 Friday

          As you can see, my entry for Tuesday never got finished. I really have no idea where I was going with that, what had spurred this entry. But that is a common issue for me with the memory loss. I am sure I got distracted and thus it was never finished.

          Today will be a busy day, as all days tend to be. We had rain two nights ago and the ground retains a little moisture so I am rushing to plant blackeyed peas with the hope they will come up and survive this drought. But it is important that I update what has been going on in our life for there are many of you who follow with great interest what goes on in our little world.

          So here are the highlights. I will start with a statement designed to attract interest, which is why it is the title of this post. Everything went wrong!!! I have noticed that whenever the title of my blog post denotes something bad happening my viewership skyrockets. This is basic human nature. Bad news always draws more attention. There are those who care for us and what happens and there are a few who look for us to fail, so both parties will investigate negative titles. But that is all good as whenever something bad happens blessings come. So I am posting a negative title for today’s entry to insure many will hear of God’s goodness.

It seems that all of a sudden nothing worked right and what did decided not to. This all started on June 20^th. That by the way was our 8^th wedding anniversary. Of course I had forgotten that as I wasn’t cognizant of the date at all and probably wasn’t even aware what day of the week it was. That was the day that both of our vehicles broke down so we were literally without any transportation, other than getting rides from friends.

(I've taken lots of pictures of the many abandoned homesteads that litter the landscape out here)

 

         Other things went bad as well. The motor on our swamp cooler is going bad, Cherie’s job seems to have become very unstable, the wheel broke on the lawnmower I use the most, because it has a grass catcher. I lost the job we started a company for when they demanded I get an insurance policy that costs almost as much as the income it produces. Coyotes have systematically wiped out my watermelons just as they become ripe. Rabbits destroyed 90% of the cantaloupes we planted. The person who was going to back us in the creation of an RV park decided to chase after riches somewhere else. The company that replaced the water well pump, that was going to be covered by the same person who was backing the RV park, got mad because the eleven hundred dollar bill hasn’t been paid on so threatened to come out and remove the pump and equipment. My doctor at the VA suddenly canceled my pain medication prescription, stating that the lab tests showed I wasn’t taking them at all. This is despite reading the same tests to me last month, stating it all looked good, and continuing the prescription. So very strange, as he says it now reads absolutely 0 as far as the medication showing in my system.

(you can see the scars where coyotes try to break open this watermelon)

         So let me tell you of the blessings that have come because of all this. We called some good friends just to get a ride home when my truck died. They are people we met at First Baptist in Midland and are part of our family of real Christians. I say “real Christians” because we understand that there are many who wear that label but don’t live it out in what they practice. I have no condemnation for people like that, only sadness and hope they will learn the joys of living for Christ and understand the consequences of hypocrisy.

          I digress. So what has happened is some of that family decided to pay for Cherie’s truck to get fixed. It was in bad shape and is still in the shop today as the mechanic seeks to discover why the brakes are mushy. It has new ball joints now. The old ones were so bad the truck’s front end could have literally fallen apart anytime. A particularly dangerous possibility if such a thing should happen driving down the interstate at 75 miles per hour. I was able to fix the starter on my diesel. Seems that the bolts holding it on had broken and bent. We feared major engine damage at the noise it had made but had great relief to hear it running well once I got the starter on.

          Now let me tell of how God foresees the future, and knowing what will happen puts things in place beforehand for that. Some other friends, also from First Baptist, had purchased a new car about a week prior to our vehicles dying. She had decided to donate her old car and was going to call the church office to ask if they knew of someone in need. Just before she did she read an email circulated through the Sunday school class we had met them through and learned of our situation.

          We were just returning from a fantastic Christian play in Post, Texas (you should look this up, as it is a playhouse in the middle of nowhere that puts on wonderful musical plays that rival what is found in major cities. Look up Ragtime gospel) when Cherie’s phone rang. As we traveled down the road, with the people who had blessed us with tickets and a ride to the play, I listened to Cherie talk on the phone in the back seat. Now I can only hear her half of the conversation but knew something good had happened when she started to cry tears of joy as she said “Thank you” repeatedly.

          We met these good friends the next day and they signed the title over to us, even paying the taxes. John (the husband) sat with Cherie in the car and explained what did what. Cherie cried or worked to hold back tears as he did. Then she cried all the way home and was still crying when we arrived at the farm twenty minutes later. Here is another detail that bears mentioning. Just two week prior to that Cherie had mentioned how much she would love to have a nice small car like the Toyota she had once owned. I don’t know if I said it but my thought was “God will supply it”. The car we were given is a Toyota.

          Then Cherie got a phone call that we were not expecting. She had applied for a job weeks before and when there was no response figured she did not get it. The job would have been perfect as the company had just built its new facility just five miles from our house. They informed her that she was hired. Praise God for this is a full time job that offers fully paid medical benefits. Part of our stress has been our lack of and inability to afford medical insurance for Cherie. She has been fighting pain and other issues for quite a while now and we have many times avoided going to a doctor or even the emergency room because we could not afford it. This job even has a dental plan, one of her biggest needs. She is at work now and loves the new job.

          You see how, when things look darkest, the hand of God makes itself known? I believe in a real and living God, who still performs miracles. But you have to understand that much of this required those who are part of the body of Christ to act, to see a need and meet it.

          This is what the bible says. 1 John, chapter 3:16 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. 17 If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? 18 Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.

          And also we find in James, chapter 2:14 What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? 15 Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. 18 But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds." Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.

          And this is where the rubber meets the road friends. I know I preach a little, but after all I am a preacher, though maybe not the kind most folks think of. I don’t have a church building with a pulpit to stand behind, but that is not for everyone. When I am at the jail I am often asked “Where is your church?”. My response is “It is right here. My church is anywhere I go”. Eventually though, I need to find a place where I can teach and guide those I lead to know the Lord. It always bothers me to lose contact with some when they are released from jail. I pray for them and wonder how they are doing.

 

          So that’s it for now. There is much work to do on the farm. We were able to bless one of the widows we care for. She has been fighting depression so Cherie and I spent a day visiting with her the other day. Depression is a hard thing to overcome, I know as both of us have battled with it. So pray for us, that God guides and uses us where there is need, for there is so much need. Bye now.