The Cardinal

I'd like to share the Lord's involvement in our lives regarding our recent move.  It always amazes me how He works in the details of our lives -- in details that would seem to be trivial to the Creator of the universe, like moving from one home to another.  I'm thankful He loves us just that much.

When we moved to Houston in 2003, we moved across the street from good friends of ours, in a golf course subdivision. A few years later, our friends ended up moving to Colorado. Also, the backyard was small and we weren’t allowed to walk on the golf course. And if our trash can was in the wrong spot, we’d get a letter. J We longed for a home on some land in a country setting, so the children could play outside and dig in the dirt. But the years passed without our pursuing it, as we watched the economy slow down and homes sit in our neighborhood with ‘for sale’ signs in the yards.

Last November (a year ago), Mark and I were blessed to have some prophetic words spoken over us by an older couple that we’d never met before. They prayed over us and shared four things that they felt the Lord was impressing on them about us. They were all right on – concerning the baby we were expecting, a ministry the Lord had placed on both of our hearts, an upcoming time of confusion, and about our desire to move. Regarding that, they said, “we’re getting that you’d like to move to a new home. Not out of state or anything, but a different home. You’ve been cautious for a long time. The Lord wants you to know He’ll be in the details.” Wow, that was encouraging to hear! We had been cautious, so it was nice to have that invitation.

That week, I got online and set up a simple search on a real estate site. Not many homes came across my email, because I made the search pretty specific - over half an acre, one story (or no bedrooms upstairs), etc. In early March, a home came across that looked interesting. We called a real estate agent that friends of ours liked, and set an appointment to see the home that weekend. The night before, I prayed and asked the Lord for a confirmation. Knowing that we could love the house, but He could have a different home in mind for us, I wanted His guidance. I hadn’t thought about a specific confirmation, but a cardinal came to my mind when I paused in my prayer. So I prayed that while we viewed the home, we would see a cardinal if it was the right home for us. I hadn’t seen a cardinal in two years, and that was when we were out of town on a camping trip. So, that was my fleece (Judges 6).

The next day, we pulled up to the home and I joked with Mark as I got out of the car “let me know if you see a cardinal…” (I hadn’t mentioned my prayer to him yet). The house was just right as we walked through it. At one point, I looked out a back window, and a cardinal flew down and landed on a bird bath in the back yard. I called my son Pierce over to see it, and Mark as well. I shared my prayer with them – how exciting to have a confirmation!


We weren’t doing things in the typical order – but we hurriedly did months of house projects, decluttering and cleaning in about a week and put our home up for sale. Knowing that the Lord would be in the details, we figured a sale would be quick and easy. We decided it'd be best for me to take the children to my parents’ home in Louisiana for a few weeks, to allow the house to stay in order and sell. How funny to think that things would be quick & easy. If we’d really thought about it, we’d have known that things may just be very difficult and slow, because that builds character! Seven stressful months followed, with many house showings, while homeschooling five children and having a new baby. During that seven months, we faced very difficult times with our business. Three times stand out in our minds when buying a home looking downright impossible. By human wisdom, we would have taken the ‘for sale’ sign out of the front yard. Yet each time, we watched the Lord clear the obstacle. How sweet to have a confirmation in order to keep us on the path we were on.

All the while, it was amazing that the home we found didn’t sell out from under us. At one point, the owner (who was also a realtor) found that the agency that sets up showings was denying all showings on the home! Our realtor joked with her that her clients were really praying about the home, so we had a lot of power on our side. The other realtor joked back, “well, tell them to stop praying!”

Eventually we had a reasonable offer from a sweet family that wanted to buy our home, and we were able to close on both homes exactly 7 months after listing our home. Mark & I are still looking at each other in wonder – we can’t believe we’re here – in the ‘cardinal’ house! The Lord truly was in the details, and He used the slow, challenging process to build our faith and teach us more dependence on Him. He is faithful – always.

- Rebecca

Hearing from Him

As I was driving to meet with some friends to pray together, this song played on the radio - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1YLXWANhvI – which I’d heard many times before, but never paid attention to the words. At one point, the words became crystal clear to me and seemed to be spoken straight to my heart.
I arrived at my friend’s house, and there was a good time of sharing and prayer.  Much of what my friends had for me in reply to what I shared seemed pertinent to the section of the song that stood out so strongly to me. I shared that perhaps the Lord spoke something to me on the drive over which tied in to what was being revealed. They asked what, and I explained about the song, and I sang the section that the Lord highlighted for me:

“..got a couple dents in my fender - a couple rips in my jeans. Try and fit the pieces together, but PERFECTION is my enemy. On my own I'm so clumsy, but on Your shoulders I can see, I'm FREE to be me.”

At that point, a friend reached behind her and grabbed a sheet of paper. On her drive over (1 hour and 45 minutes in traffic!), she had heard the same song, and the Lord impressed on her that the words were meant for me (that specific section that I had just sung!). There it was – scribbled on her paper (quite scribbled, because she wrote it while driving – ha!!)... the exact section of the song! How amazing to have the Lord confirm His encouragement to me. He is incredibly kind. : )

I'm a child in this journey, but I'm so glad that my ears are opening and I'm learning to recognize His voice. I hope this story speaks to you in some way!  He is VERY real - He is CRAZY about you - and He does speak and move in powerful ways.

Trusting Jehovah Jireh

My wife and I sat in our bedroom staring at each other. Everything just seemed to continue to grow worse and worse. Money was getting way too tight and we had already cut the fat out of our spending. We had just purchased a new home by the skin of our teeth last month. While I had only been at my job for little less than a year, it was a company I enjoyed being at and was perfectly suited to my skill set. I was going to have to find a higher paying job. My wife worked at a company that she loved for the past three years, but if I wasn't able to move up in pay quickly she would have to leave it completely. We both sent out a multitude of resumes and applications. I quickly received a response for a position where I could make a lot more money than my current paycheck. I went in for an interview and found out it was a sales position with a very well established company. The thing is I’m not a sales man. I do tech support for an Internet hosting company. While I’ve tried in my past to do sales, it’s never worked out. The information I received about the company seemed like a great way to start a new path in my life and better provide for my family.

We were again at a place where we had we had no choice, but to trust whole-heartedly in God and His plans for our lives. We chose to fast for a day while we prayed for wisdom on what to do. Should I leave my current position that I’ve been at and well suited for or should my wife leave her job that she had been at for three years? There was so much that had happened in our life recently that it felt that God had really stripped us of everything that was not of him. We had been put on the burning alter multiple times to have the fat burned off only to leave an acceptable offering to Him. This had lead us to the place where we knew a decision was more about his wants for us than for what our simple wants and desires were.

The fast had begun and we had come to the day when it was time to tell my company I was leaving or turn down the new job. The plan was to wait until lunch and go talk to the people in HR, but strangely enough they called me in before I could get to them. As I entered the head of HR’s office I noticed my supervisor was in the room as well. It felt a bit like high school again, but unlike high school I couldn’t think of a reason I would be called in. They sat me down and began to inform me that the company I had applied for called to check my resume and references with my current position. I began to figure that I was going to be let go for looking for a new job and not informing them. They asked me why I was leaving and I honestly replied, “The money. I have a wife, two children and a new mortgage and I need to make more money. I really like what I do and this company, but the needs of my family have to take precedence.” They looked at each other, asked me to step outside, and after a brief pow-wow called me back in. I was beginning to assume that God had made his choice and that a new career was in my very new future, but historically speaking my ability to figure out God’s plans for my future are not too great. My supervisor began to tell me how I was a great asset to the company and that a promotion was already in the works for me, which would include a raise, and that my year review was coming up, in which my performance warranted another raise. They asked me if I would stay if they offered me both of those raises right away, as they would be mine if I stayed. There it was. God at work. I stepped outside, called my wife to let her know of the offer and confer with her which wasn’t a long call, then came back and accepted the 15% raise and coming promotion.

My wife and I had made a choice to put everything in God’s hands and then to simply follow the path he laid out. Sometimes it feels the road doesn’t appear until our feet hit the ground, which shouldn’t surprise us because He’s God. He is Jehovah Jireh. There is a song where the lyrics speak of birds singing of how not to worry and how everything would be okay. They may seem like ridiculous lyrics, but they’re so true. It’s a musical reference to Matthew 6:26:

“Look at the birds. They don't plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren't you far more valuable to Him than they are?”

Every day is a reminder of how we are to put everything we are in God’s hands and it is only by following His plan do we succeed and every now and then we get a few rewards along the way.

- David & Cindie