Our borrowed european frig...

mini stairclimber and thighmaster for rainy days in Texas

Our tv...sans cable...dvd's only...

Today is Make Do Monday according to AnnKroeker.com.  Our family is making do in all sorts of ways today.  

We have decided to simplify our lives radically in the past few years and our recent move to Texas is no exception.  We did not recieve our household goods for 10 days and made do with blow up mattresses and cell phones.  The unexpected gift in our move I recieved was this gift of time, reflection and renewal in my soul.

One of the most instuctive verses in scripture for me has been in Psalm 17 verse 4 …

“Those who chase after other gods will be filled with sorrow”   The more space I free up in my days is more time to fill up with His guidance.   We are now enjoying time to rest attentively in our Fathers instruction…the B I B L E …in other words…this naturally causes less desire  for anything in this world that is matierial.  The craving for relationship is filled with my Lord, my family and my new church body. 

 Thinking about God surrounded by His Holy Spirit entering a new refreshing peace and quiet was extraordinary. 

 We recieved our goods a week and 1/2 ago and and are continuing to enjoy no home phone,  no tv, and making do without a large frig.  We were loaned a european size refrigerator and are surviving just fine. 

 The benefits of the former luxuries are whaning as we enjoy a  reflective home, free of excess noise and considerably more produce in our diets. 

 Our daughter has had a smile on her face almost continuously since we arrived to the lone star state. Due to a lack of variables, we will assume her creativity has kicked into high gear to fill her days once filled with nonstop disney channel.  She has taken up guitar (on her own initiative she asked our youth leader to teach her and a couple friends before the youth group every sunday eve), riding her bike everywhere you can imagine in our new town, and met lots of children in the neighborhood.  She is new in town,  and popular opinion would advise me to sign her up for all sorts of activities so she can make friends.  I have not been shuttling her to anything anywhere, and yet a content child is residing in our lovely new home.   The spirit of our beautiful saviour is fully present in my soon to be teen.

   We share one car and my husband walked 7 miles home from the church last week.  The weather has been very mild since we arrived. My fav pastor descibed his long saunter as really relaxing.  It also gave him a couple hours to just enjoy the outdoors and bask in the love of Christ.

  I have walked everywhere…the store, the post office, the local coffee shop, and to lunch at a local chinese restaurant with  my in-laws who came to visit.  They are used to watching Fox News, but were able to find it on the internet. 

 We have free internet in our new community and have enjoyed it from Day 1 to stay connected with the outside world.  The speed of emails is much slower than we are used to, but Ann Kroeker has been telling us all to slow down:) 

 We have had a couple rainy days and I’ve enjoyed my loooooow tech climber.  The thighmaster is now free of dust since I’m trying to diminish the stature of my new set of thunder thighs thanks to all the delish texan cuisine from my new church friends….. aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh the body of Christ. 

Resting in peace and quiet in Him, Trish