I waited over 5 years to share this …. God just sold our home!!!!!!!!! The eve before Easter, we got THE crazy call that we have been praying and circling for years!!

He answers every prayer and keeps every promise. If you have the faith to dream big, pray hard, and think long …. there is NOTHING God loves more than proving His faithfulness. (The Circle Maker)

Do you remember this post in 2009 when I blogged about why we were selling our home? You, my blog friends, never wavered encouraging me here and here. We really believed God wanted us to give up our home and downsize to a smaller place to afford our upcoming adoption. It was very confusing and hopeless and discouraging when, year after year, it didn’t sell. Have you ever prayed for a miracle that had no answer? “Some of the hardest moments in life are when you prayed hard, but the answer is no and you don’t know why.” There were so many times it felt like God was actually getting in the way. And He was. And I’m glad He was. I think half the time, we were going in the wrong way. It was what we needed to keep moving forward. We built our dream home 10 years ago, but God changed our dreams. We want to give God ALL the glory for this miracle. I can’t wait to share with you the story from start to sell. It will blow you away! I’m still processing what He’s done for our family.

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I have a confession. Do you remember this post? The past three years, I have gained a total 25 pounds simply eating really unhealthy foods and not exercising. It was this recipe that really did me in. I’ve heard the rumors that when you hit 40 you can start gaining weight and really tough to get it off. I hated feeling like I was going to roll down the hill on my last mission trip to Haiti. We had to hike a mile up a steep hill to visit baby Julie and I was really struggling with burning in my chest and thighs (ugh) and breathing like I was running a marathon in high heels. Well, I came home and made a decision to self-care and get back in shape. I’ve been on a special eating plan the past 9 weeks. I stopped eating white sugar and white four …. I’ve lost 11 pounds, but now hit that dreaded plateau. If I’m going to lose the last 14 pounds, I’m going to have to up my game and start sweating and moving faster. There are so many “changes” in my life right now, that have challenged me to up my game spiritually. If you’ve been following my blog the past few months, you know we are selling our home. It’s been on the market for 5 years and we (as of this week) have our first potential buyer. They love our home and have come back 2x to walk through it! They left a note on the kitchen counter “we are praying through our decision.” I’m continuing through Mark Batterson’s book – and circling my dreams and praying fervently for His promises. When Roger and I decided to let go of our home, we knew we would gain so much more.

There is nothing God loves more than keeping His promises. He is actively watching and waiting for us to simply take Him at His word. He is watching over Matt. 18:18. He is watching over Is 59:21. He is watching over Luke 7:23. He is watching over each and every promise, and if that doesn’t fill you with holy confidence, nothing will. Praying hard is standing on the promises of God. And when we stand ON His word, God stands BY His word. His word is His bond. #The Circle Maker

I’m processing this idea of being a “risk taker.” Honestly, I wasn’t always willing to take a risk in my life … this is a new adventure. I typically handled risk like the Israelites- complaining or begging for a way out. Too often we let how get in the way of what God wants us to do. We can’t figure out how to do what God has called us to do, so we don’t do it at all. Mark Batterson calls this kind of risk “this is crazy” moments. Continue Reading