some meaning in manna

God provided manna for the wandering Israelites. But only enough for each day. God was taking care of them day by day.

Lately, i've been worried/anxious about when we're going and what to do while we wait. Will we have enough for the next weeks or months.

But i think i should learn from the manna. God will take care of me day by day.

it's not mine...

i've been thinking a lot about my 'stuff'. ya know, the things you've collected over the years. some 'stuff' is important because of the memories attached to it. other 'stuff' is important for it's function in my life or significance. whatever the reason, there is some 'stuff' that's just hard to let go.


i was thinkin' this mornin' as i made the bed (yeah mom, i really did make the bed this mornin'). Ya see, we're living in this wonderful house provided by Skyline. Not only is it furnished, it's also the best decorated abode we've lived in as a family. Well, as i was makin' the bed, i was impressed with the lovely comforter. It's just adorable. I like it lots. But i had a unexpected thought, that we'd have to leave it behind. We can't move it with us. That thought didn't hurt; it wasn't going to be hard to let go of it.


so of course, on thought lead to another... why can i let that go, but i'm having such a hard time letting go of 'stuff' packed in boxes that i'm not even using? ? ?


simply... it's not mine.

the things in this house are not mine. i can easily let them go. but i've claimed the 'stuff' in my boxes. to let that go, i've got to realize, that they're not mine either. i'm just able to use them for a while...


simply... it's not mine.

stuff

.
There's comfort in 'stuff'.

stability.

We are all collectors of 'stuff', just look around you. We each have lots. We often put our trust in stuff. Our 'stuff' weill be there when we need it. It will make our lives easier, or more fun.

I have to admit, I like 'stuff' too. I eaven have memories attached to lots of my 'stuff'. Some 'stuff' we've been weeding out. You know, the extra 'stuff', non-esential 'stuff'... some of that was hard... but we can't take everything with us, right... and my family has been slowly removing 'stuff' from or lives for the last 5 years, since our move to Memphis. It started with our house and our dog (that sounds odd)... 'stuff' we couldn't bring along...

It's been hard, but i've been in control and able to keep a grasp on the "important" 'stuff'.

BUT, what if God's asking more? What if od's wanting me to let go of the comfort of my 'stuff', so i can hold on to him? so i can trust in him for my comfort, not the 'stuff'? can i let go more? how much can i let go?

'stuff' = security... can i let go? could you?

stopping...

Well, we've come to a place to stop. After wandering through six states and one district (plus driving through several others), clocking over 80 hours in our van, we've found a place to stop!

We're in Jackson, TN with our sponsoring congregation, Skyline church of Christ. They've provided us with a delightful house two doors away from the church building. I'll post pics when i take some. We're loving being with this group of God's people. They're so loving and very thought provoking. I'm thrilled that we'll be here for a bit! (how long that is, we just don't know)

During our stop here, we'll be homeschooling the kids (Brenna's excited, you'd think she'd be ready for a new teacher by now) and I'll be looking for a job. We'll see what comes along.

In the meantime, please keep praying for our transition (especially for the kids) and the visa process (we'd love it to speed along).

Blessings.