It's all about me

Building is going along well.  We have the walls all up!  No more cinder blocks for a while.  It looks really great.  Most of the anchor bolts are in place.  We are missing three which will be put in soon.  The anchor bolts anchor the sill wood to the cinder blocks.  They are kind of important.  Yesterday I  kept Tom company.  He was putting the outside coating on the cinder blocks.  I forgot what that was called just now, but it is used when you dry stack your cinder blocks.  It gives the structure support, bonds the blocks together, and makes them a little more water proof, which is really good, since we don't want a leaky basement.  We have had a lot of rain, and in fact right now it is raining too.  But that is all very well, since if it weren't raining right now, Tasha and I would have to fill up our trash cans with water from the inlet pipe and that is kind of messy and a pain.  The good news on that one, at least for Tasha, is that she can practice driving up and down the road.  She is doing all right.  The car is still together and she has not run off the road.  She did a very nice turn around at the top of the ROW and that was great too.  Today we are supposed to finish the outside coating on the walls.  Tom has enough supplies to get the job done.  I am soooo thrilled!!!!!  I'm sorry but I have no pictures to add at this time.  I forgot the thumb drive at home and our computer is malfunctioning again.  I can't load up any pictures on this computer from Tasha's camera.  So you will have to wait until next time.

I wanted to share what I am going through with you.  The process of building a house is quite stressful as it is and that is if you have a builder doing it.  I could sit here and tell you that this is a piece of cake and you would know that there is something wrong with me.  This whole process from getting the land, clearing the land, making plans of the house (oh man), and starting building is really refining me.  God is teaching me things about myself, I thought I would not have to deal with.  I love it and am challenged by having to rise to the occasion.  This last week was a little bit of a challenge and showed me some things that really need to be fixed in my heart.  I don't know if I have shared with y'all, but the first thing the Lord cleared up when I became a Christian was my filthy language.  I swore, used God's name and the Lord's name in vain like crazy.  With His help, I was moved to really clean that up and really, it hasn't been a challenge.  There are other ways, however, to misuse your mouth and the words that come out of you.  I am really good at being sarcastic, picking on the kids, and just causing strive with my words.  I really struggle with that, because James tells us that our tongue steers the whole ship.  This week, I really saw how the tongue steers the whole ship.  Logan and I were reading a book together called "Little Sir Gallahad" by the Lamplighter publishers.  As I was reading this book and another called "The Giant Killer", I started seeing things I had let slip away and get back into my life.  Thursday evening, a rainy day, we were heading for dinner when Tom decided that it would be best not to eat out again, but eat in the shed.  I thought I was going to loose it.  I didn't have anything ready, since we can't really store food up at the property and I shop every day.  It was 7:30 and everyone was hungry.  Tom was coughing and looking rather lousy, and I just almost lost it.  But then that still small voice reminded me that I had stepped out without my armor.  All the fiery darts of the evil one were hitting their mark.  As I stood shivering in the store, telling myself that this could not possibly be God's plan for me and wanting just to go home and forget about the whole house building process, I reminded myself that Christ fought the battle for me already and that I just had to put on His whole armor.  I slowly put on my shield of faith, but boy it was hard to know that God was going to take care of me.  Then by the time we were driving up the road to the property, I was trying to put on my breastplate but I just couldn't fasten it.  Didn't have the strength.  The shoes of peace, they were just tossed in the trunk and I just couldn't reach them.  The helmet of salvation was barely on my head, all crooked and untied.  The belt of truth, well, I kind of tossed that to the side for the moment.  As we walked toward the shed (and we were totally watching the dog, since it was late, rainy and dark, and we didn't want a repeat of the porcupine incident), I remembered to grab the armor and drag it down with me.  Making dinner was interesting, but slowly and unbeknown to me, Christ was helping me dress myself.  He fixed by shield and helped me hold it up, patted me on the head and fastened the helmet properly.  Gently put on the breastplate and had to hold me down to tie on the belt of truth (I was throwing it at Tom at the time), and firmly put on the shoes of peace, which were cold and wet.  At last he gave me the sword, making me remember to cast my cares onto Him because He careth for me!!!!  How in the world did I let it get so far?  I don't know, but I know that the more trials He puts me through, the more refining I need.

It is amazing how grace and mercy work.  The whole next day was such a blessing.  After the storm comes a clear day, and storms don't last forever.  The kids got to play manhunt with Tom for a while and we got a lot done, everyone was in harmony with each other, and I was watching what came out of my mouth.  I had defeated the giants of self pity, pride, contemptuousness, anger, and doubt.  It had been a battle but Christ was right there with me, helping me hold up that shield, making sure I was wielding the sword just right, and making sure I didn't step into something nasty with my shoes.  Even today, it is rainy again, His armor is in place and I am sure that there will be many attacks on me because I am sharing this with you.  That is just the way things always go.  I hope that you will allow Christ to put His whole armor on you today and every day.  Have a great day in the Lord.

Anne