Gleanings of Wheat

So, I tried for two days to find a nice, concise way of explaining just how wonderful God has been to me and my kids lately but I just can't do it. Every time I sit down and start typing the post ends up really long. Like really long. My attempt today shall be bullet point format! Providing a home for our lovable basset hound where she'll have room to run and play and grow Getting us out of a not great situation where we were previously living Providing a wonderful apartment (2 bedrooms, 1.5 bath, private deck, TONS of kitchen space Providing us with a ton of furniture and stuff for the kitchen we needed that I couldn't afford to buy after paying the deposit and first month's rent Showing me just how much I wasn't trusting Him in this situation Loving me anyway Loving my church members and thus causing them to care for my kids and I in super overwhelming ways Providing a new tire and windshield wipers for the van The kids are doing wonderfully at their new s...

Alternatively titled "Brett Riggs is a big jerk." I have a routine in the morning. Shut off the alarm and sleep for 10 more minutes. Get up, make coffee, consume coffee, scan Google Reader and Twitter, wake the kids up, have breakfast, and get them to school. After that I try to have my quiet time, it is just what works best for me as I'm not coherent enough to do it first thing in the morning. Occasionally I oversleep and that throws everything off. I over slept today. Still, I had time to do all over the pre-taking the kids to school stuff, except for my coffee consumption and wasn't as leisurely. I had a notice from the Riggs Family Blog Facebook group saying there was an urgent update. My heart dropped. I held my breath and feverishly typed in the URL . After a redirect my heart sunk even more. Brent had been arrested and the blog apparently had been suspended by Blogger. On the first page there was a photo of him in a police car, the second page contained a mugsh...

They left for Texas about five minutes ago. They'll be gone for two weeks seeing their Dad; I'm glad they are getting to see him, but I sure am going to miss them. Please pray that they would be safe while they travel and are down there.

An internet friend of mine is pregnant (woo for babies!) and she went to the hospital yesterday to be induced, I just found out she is scheduled for a c-section in a couple hours. I don't know any first time mom actually wants a section, but I thank God that He has cared for them this well so far and I am confident He will continue to pour out grace upon this new young family. If you remember, please pray for an uneventful section and a speedy recovery. BABIES!!! EDIT Baby boy was born!! So excited.

Have you seen the Riggs Family blog ? I came across it about a month ago...There is so much that could be said, and by people far more elequent than I, but I just wanted to post the link and encourage you to pray for this family. You can get updates on Facebook and Twitter as well. Pray that God would continue to strengthen the family as a whole and Abby specifically, for Abby's deliverance from the cancer, for God to be lifted up and treasured by His children in the midst of this trial. Rejoice in His kindness thus far - Abby was born, she was adopted by a loving family who seek to honor God and trust Him, she has received medical care. These are all tender mercies from our Father. Rejoice that Abby's care is ultimately not in the hands of men and women, but in the Lord's. If He heals her, rejoice in His kindness. If He calls her home, rejoice in His mercy - for she shall no longer suffer and there is no better place to be than with the creator of the universe. Friend, wo...

I've got an interview Friday for a part time appointment setting position. Hopefully they'll be super flexible about hours so that I won't have to pay for child care. Cool thing is that it is less than a mile from my house so I could easily walk every day I work. If you see this before Friday if you would pray that it goes smoothly and that God would just make it clear whether I'm supposed to be there, that'd be great. Thanks.

Ok, I'm a little over dramatic - I probably wasn't dying a couple days ago but it sure felt like it! I don't know what hit me, but it wiped me out. I went to bed Saturday night feeling fine and woke up quite sick. I can't remember ever being so sick that I couldn't stand up, but that's what I got on Sunday. I also can't remember ever passing out because I was sick, but that's what I did on Sunday. Thankfully the kids' dad is on leave and kept them during the weekend for me so I got to be a bum and not do anything. Not that I was physically able to do anything anyway. Now I'm basically recovered. I've got a nasty migraine and a strange ringing noise in my ears, but I'm not throwing up anymore and I can take care of the kids. Praise God for His mercy. It hit while the kids were gone and the worst of it passed before they came home.

I'm a worrier, I always have been but I also have become convinced over the past couple of years that my excessive worry/ fear is sin. Can I help when these fears pop up? I don't think so (I could be wrong and am open to correction on this), but I certainly can do something about dwelling in them like I tend to do. I think such action betrays a heart divided, a heart that does not truly treasure Christ as it should. If God is supreme and loves us, if we are truly in Christ then our distrust and worry do not reflect His glory. I used to think I could not help my continued worrying, I thought that it is part of my personality and perhaps (on some level) that I would never be free from it. But the more I study Scripture, the more I draw near to Him, the more I understand Isaiah 26:3. An situation may, and often does, arise that would ordinarily cause me to tremble but if I will seek God as my all surpassing treasure I can flee from the shackles of my concern and rest in the ar...

So, my car broke down again about a month or two ago and I couldn't afford to have it towed to the mechanic because of the holidays and the kid's birthdays. I was waiting for my tax refund to come and use part of that to get it fixed. I got the money, and as some of you know my mom ended up being out of work for a week with a torn cornea so I had to pay a lot more household bills than I was planning on so I ended up waiting a few more weeks. I dropped off the car last week and the next day our furnace broke down. GREAT. I paid half that bill for my mom (I like to be warm so its only fair I chip in) - but now I don't have enough money pay to pick up my car from the mechanic. I get paid on Friday and child support on Saturday, but it is either pay for the car or have child support to pay the preschool, put gas in the car to go to school, and be able to pay the phone bill on time. I can't leave the car at the mechanic because eventually they'll start charging me stora...

I just found out a very dear friend's father has recently been diagnosed with prostate cancer. I can't even begin to express anything in conjunction with this. Just...lame.

I applied for membership at the church I've been attending since June. A big step for me, but this place just feels like home. As part of the process I had a meeting with the deacons after service this morning and tonight I'm supposed to give my testimony so they can vote on whether I will be accepted into membership or not. One problem, I have a HUGE fear of public speaking...heck, even speaking in a small setting with three men in the room makes me incredibly nervous. I knew when I applied that I would have to do this, and part of me hesitated turning in the application because I'm so scared. But I love this church, the kids love this church, and I feel that if I'm going to ask these people to invest in my life then I need to be willing to invest in the life of the church. Long story short, I'm proceeding after a lot of prayer, and I'd appreciate it if you would pray for me this evening that I would be able to rest in the grace of God and share my story. Than...

An update: I just got off the phone with the mechanic, the warranty company will pay for some of the work. Now the total on my end will be roughly $200-220ish. The mechanic is willing to take half when I pick the car up and the remainder in a post dated check for a few days later. I'm incredibly relieved by the news. While this will still make things rather tight for me, it is manageable. Thank God for His faithfulness. I'm grateful to all of you who have prayed for me regarding this. Thanks bunches! :) And thanks, Carla , for linking to the initial post.

I'm pestering all my favorite blogs indirectly with a prayer request...the rest of you can pray as well. Please . ATTN: Carla , David , Kim , Amy , the girls at Girl Talk , Doug , and Tim . Here is the deal: I took the kids out for a super fun day (read: I took them to the mall to play) and the car broke down on the way home. Remind me never to try and do anything fun again. I had it towed to my mechanic and just got word the fuel pump went on it. $560 to fix it. I do not have anywhere near that much money, after burning through all my savings on a rental b/c of the transmission this summer. My car hates me. I can't afford it. At all. That's half my income for the month and the other half goes to child care costs. I've got my mechanic calling the warranty people to see if they'll cover it. Please pray they will. I have no idea what to do if they don't. I mean, I know what I can do...I can pray, but that's it. I can't get through this one on my own. If n...

I heard about this family's struggle on a message board I frequent. If you pray, it'd be great to lift them up. If you don't pray, then you should start. My Name is Kristy Schwade and my life at this point is not anywhere near normal. My Son, the light of my life is fighting for his very own life in ICU and has been since May 9, 2007. He is suffering from Shaken Baby Syndrome by the hands of someone who is not in anyway related to him or us. I have 100% faith in God that my little boy will be the one that SURPRISES all of the doctors. He is strong and we have to be strong for him.