JoelandFaith.com Blog

(Originally posted May 26, 2010)

To get things started in our brand new blog it seems only fitting that in our first post we give thanks to God.

Before I do so, though, I’d like to first note how thankful I am that the addition of our blog, Google site search option, Twitter listing, and our site appearance update all pretty much went off without a hitch. When it came to the point where we “turned on” all these new features and put in place the updated design, everything simply worked perfectly. In all the times where I’ve done a notable web site update in the past, that had never happened before. Faith can tell you just how surprised and excited I was when everything worked as hoped. So, praise the Lord! Hope everyone enjoys our updated site!

For a few months now I’ve been carrying around a sheet of paper with a list of different praises and things to be thankful for that have to do with the way God has provided for us in regards to our home. When I first started the list I wasn’t 100% sure where or when I would share those things, but right here and right now seems like just the right opportunity. Here they are:

• Home in decent shape when bought despite not being lived in for more than a year

By the time we moved into our home it was definitely a fixer-upper. However, God had all the essentials (power, water, AC and heat) working properly and we’ve not had a single major thing go wrong that resulted in an urgent fix or emergency funds being required (going on 5 years now). All home improvements we’ve been able to do have been able to be done as God-provided time and funds allowed. This has been the HUGE cherry on top of the fact that we were able to close on our home 8 days before we were married (moving in together following our honeymoon).

• Livingroom, hallway, and master bedroom painted while we were on our honeymoon

I won’t say who it was (God knows), but a certain family simply blew us away by coming to our house while we were away on our honeymoon, giving a much-needed new coat of paint to the largest spaces in our home. Coming home to your “new” house having half of it freshly painted is, needless to say, something to be quite thankful for!

• Front two pear trees cut down without any problems, providing firewood as well

Looking at our front yard now, you probably wouldn’t ever guess that there were two fairly large pear trees right in the middle of it when we bought our house (unfortunately we don’t really have a picture of them). They were there, though, and they came down nicely…using a handsaw and ax! Yep, no chainsaw here (except when it came time to cut the stumps down in preparation for a stump grinder later on); instead it was climb up in the tree and go at those limbs with your basic handsaw (then take out the stump as best you can by wailing at it with an ax). God kept me safe (all Faith’s prayers were answered), no damage to house or electrical lines was done, and we even got a lot of free firewood out of it (still not even close to using it all up). It should be noted, too, that the third (giant) pear tree in our yard (the stump for which now lies underneath our small utility building) came down OK, too (though that time around with a little chainsaw assistance). That was following God sparing our home and car from damage by having a large limb break off of it into an empty space in our yard (a warning sign that had us removing that tree later the same day).

• Inexpensively-priced “oops” stain acquired for entire deck, backyard steps, and mailbox

Our back deck was really hurting when we moved in. But all we needed was God’s grace and guidance and the great shopping prowess Faith has been blessed with and after just the right amount of stain in the Home Depot discount area (and a couple weekends-worth of work) we had the best “your pool is missing” deck in Auburn!

• Able to get rocks from nearby to help fix front garden area

The front of our house was a bit of a jungle when we first moved in, but over time we weeded it out, cleaned it up, and were able to thankfully get a couple tons of rock from a nearby rock quarry for next to nothing in comparison to what you would normally have to pay for the same type of rock at Home Depot or Lowe’s. Can’t beat a friendly father-in-law’s truck and a rock quarry being within a couple miles of your house.

• Secured loan for getting siding on outside of house as well as new gutters

While our existing siding probably would’ve lasted for another year or two if it were painted, it really needed to be replaced – for both durability and aesthetic reasons – and God provided the means to do so. The work turned out great and a greatly improved house we were blessed with.

• Two water leaks in living room and master bathroom both stop “on their own” until roof can be repaired

Despite finding the source of one of them, we couldn’t effectively stop on our own either of these leaks (one above the TV in the living room, the other in the corner of the shower in our bathroom). Somehow, however, after awhile, God stopped them, and kept them stopped until He provided another more permanent solution…

• Able to get roofing completely redone – and with nice shingles – for only $1,000 due to hail damage (roof still held up until initially delayed work was able to be done; additional hail fell on old roof while waiting for new one), and both the entire living room and master bathroom ceilings were painted because of related leaks

You know God is at work when you really need a new roof and all of a sudden an opportunity to get a $5,500 roof for less than 20% of the price comes along. Short of getting a loan, there is absolutely no way we could’ve afforded a new roof other than through God’s provision…and He definitely provided. And the leak-stained living room and master bathroom ceilings were professionally repainted, too!

God is good…all the time! We look forward to sharing even more of His blessings in the future with anyone who has ears to hear (Matthew 13; see v. 16).