:::An update to my whereabouts:::

This past month has been a bit challenging with my daughter being sick and then some other personal issues to work through. Amy and I are doing well, it's more so that I needed to face some obstacles that I had been avoiding and refocus my thoughts, as well as re-evaluate some current situations.

Believe it or not, I've not gotten any real offers on my current trade. I did have some offers, but they ended up being scams. I'm not sure how this project is going to end up, but what I do know is that I will continue to do what Matthew 17:20 says; "If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."

Lately, our obstacles have felt like big mountains, making us want to ask God, "where are you?". Over this past month, I've learned that faith and perseverance don't always come easy.

God wants us to rely on him no matter the situation. He never promised life would be easy. The point I am getting at is: Many times we give up when the end is just around the corner. 

I've faced many challenges over the last several years, and have learned "that in all things God works for the good of those who love him...(Romans 8:28)" 

"Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. 

Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance,    perseverance, character,   and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us." (Romans 5:1-5)

I am still here

Things have been kind of crazy on the home front. I'm still working on trading the photo booth deal. It may take a little while for this one because it's a bit unique. School has kept me on my toes, as well as trying to keep up with our little AC.

It feels like a tornado has gone through our house every night. We are just warn out. I guess that is part of the joys of having a 2 1/2 year old. Anyway, life has just got in the way and kept us busy. I just wanted to drop a line to let you know that I am still alive and kicking it. Well, not really kicking it too much because my back has been aching pretty good, but that is another story. This project is still alive and well, but currently slow sailing.

Have a great week!

Rejoice In Your Trials

"Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet i will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of deer, he enables me to go on the heights." (Habakkuk 3:17-19)

These few verses pretty much tell the story of the last 10 years of my life. Ever since I graduated high school in 2002,  it seems as though trial, after trial, after trial have come my way. 

Finally when something good came my way, it wasn't long before another negative thing hit me in the face. I imagine a lot of people out there have a similar story. You can almost always guarantee when you have a string of good things happen, something bad always has to jump in and ruin the fun.

The opposite is also true, nothing is going well and then something good happens making you think things are better and then BAM you get hit with another thing that knocks you down. Some of you might be asking why this happens. Here are my thoughts...

God wants us to have faith in him and not rely on our own understandings of how we think life should be (Proverbs 3:5-6). I also think that sometimes bad things happen to good people in order to challenge our faith so that we might be built up in Christ and know that he is in charge and if we try and do it on our own, we will fail (Proverbs 16).

Lastly, sometimes bad things just happen for reasons we will never know. What we make of the situation will determine the path we take. We can decide to give up and be down all the time or we can decide to be joyful and make the best out of our circumstances. 

This can relate to the project in that there have been countless days that I've wanted to quit this whole trading thing because it was not going how I thought it should. Or that it was taking forever to make a trade, even sometimes having a offer that fell through.

This whole project is in Gods timing, not mine. I can't make this thing happen in my own strength, otherwise it will for sure fail. I must rely in Gods wisdom and direction. This whole project could end tomorrow, who knows. I will end with this verse:

"In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps." (Proverbs 16:9)