Something Heavenly

For those who are curious as to how this journey started for us, here is a glimpse into what God was up to in our hearts.  Yes, Rich and I were called to serve God in missions while we were in high school but this didn’t happen right away.  We had much to do and learn, but that’s another story. 

Right about the time that God called Rich to take a step of faith and to literally step out of the US Army this song “Something Heavenly” by Sanctus Real came out.  The first time I heard it was on K-Love radio.  The words spoke directly to my heart.  It felt like Someone heavenly was calling us out of this life we were living in.  We were being invited in other words to step into something new. 

"Ruined"

We were ruined!  No longer could Rich go to work and back and feel like that was what he was supposed to do.  There was an emptiness in it all.  This emptiness, we realized could no longer be filled with activities, or shopping or anything else we were used to doing.  So, what now?  These words said it all!

“It’s time for healing, time to move on...It’s time to find my way, where I belong, there’s a wave crashing over me, and all I can do is surrender…to whatever You’re doing inside of me, it feels like chaos but somehow there’s peace, and though it’s hard to surrender to what I can’t see, I’m giving in to something heavenly, something heavenly.”

Surrender was all we could do.  We were walking into something bigger than ourselves.  It felt like too big to take on at times and still does.  But God in His graciousness calmed my fears.  He assured me that He was going to be the best boss we could ever have.  You see, stepping out of the Army, away from free healthcare and a steady paycheck was a bit scary to say the least. 

“Time for a milestone, time to begin again, reevaluate who I really am, am I doing everything to follow Your will, or just climbing aimlessly over these hills, so show me what it is You want from me, I give everything, I surrender…”

God in His love for us “ruined” us and lovingly guided us from one Army, into another.  He promises us in Jeremiah 17:7, “most blessed is the man who believes in, trusts in, and relies on the Lord, and whose hope and confidence the Lord is.”   Surrendering to Him was the best thing we could do.  We are truly blessed.  

Is God calling you to walk by Faith?

Matthew 6:25,31-33

²⁵ "I tell you, do not worry. Don't worry about your life and what you will eat or drink. And don't worry about your body and what you will wear. Isn't there more to life than eating? Aren't there more important things for the body than clothes? …Your faith is so small!

 ³¹ "So don't worry. Don't say, 'What will we eat?' Or, 'What will we drink?' Or, 'What will we wear?' ³² People who are ungodly run after all of those things. Your Father who is in heaven knows that you need them.

 ³³ "But put God's kingdom first. Do what he wants you to do. Then all of those things will also be given to you.

Faith is a funny thing.  I want more of it but I am afraid to step into it when it is placed in front of me.  And if I have it, it is counted to me as righteousness.  This is something that God is teaching me to live by.  If I shouldn’t be worried at all about the little things (they feel like big things sometimes), what am I supposed to do then?  I should put God’s kingdom first, do what He wants me to do, then God will give us all of “those things”. 

So, what does “those things” represent?  What is God nudging your heart to do these days?  What is He asking you to use your faith for?  What is He saying to you that makes your heart feel that twinge of fear?  Maybe that is where He is calling your heart to learn to “walk on water”. 

“Why are you so downcast, O my soul?  Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.” Ps. 43:5

My husband and I have been asked to take that step out onto that “water”.  It’s scary and so very hard to walk out each day.  I noticed in this verse though that David said out the faith in his heart, “for I will yet praise him”.  The word “yet” tells me that at that moment, he is not feeling any praise or does not have the strength or faith to praise God yet.  So, how did he get to that point of praising God? 

A bit earlier in verse 3, David says something very cool.  “Send forth your light and your truth, let them guide me;  let them bring me to your holy mountain, to the place where you dwell.”  Wow!  Here God shows me that when I am not sure what to do next, when I am starting to worry about this step of faith that God is asking me to do, when I am asking why the enemy seems to be winning, I can ask Jesus to send His light.  Where there is Jesus’ light there is no darkness or confusion.  The questions are then replaced with His peace and the truth of His Word and His Spirit guide me. 

That is how I got today, to the place of praising God.  Jesus’ light shone into the questions and worry and in their place I had His peace and faith to praise Him. 

Is God calling you to walk by faith, too?  Is He asking something of you that feels too big for yourself and your circumstances?  I hope this encourages you in some way along the way...

SO excited about my New Blog!!

I have been wanting to start a blog of my own for a while now.  I didn't know what to call it or what to put in it, but just recently I felt like it was time.  A friend gave me a great idea for the name "Party of Five" I wanted to include Rich somehow so I kicked it up a notch and made it into "Seven is Heaven".  God has been helping me write things that He has been putting on my heart so setting this blog up is giving me a place to share.  

Awhile back I felt that God was calling me to use everything that He had put in me.  We all have experiences in life that we think are insignificant, but there is one thing for sure, God doesn't waste any of them.  I knew that growing up in the middle of a bug and snake infested jungle wasn't for nothing. Watching how a group of people in the middle of a huge sea of jungle went from living in total fear to having their eyes opened to the God who made them, loves then and gave everything for them, was pretty amazing.  Not to mention life changing as well.  My parents sacrificed just like we sacrifice for our own kids and it ended up becoming worth it all.  God puts into us a lifetime of blessings and trials, all making us into something beautiful.   Ok, not saying I am beautiful yet.  Just hoping someday when I see Him face to face He will say "well done". 

So, why do a blog?  I hope to keep you all up with our life on this journey that God has started for us.  Which is one of following Him into ministry and one of learning how to walk by faith, well more like feeling that I am failing to live by faith.  God in His mercy has brought us through so much and is teaching us tons at the same time.  I would not trade these past two years for anything!  Really, it has been SO hard to learn how to walk by faith.  Honestly, I came to a point just recently (while the kids and I were praying before school time), that I cried out to God, telling Him that this raising support to go to Papua New Guinea has been the hardest thing I have EVER done.  Yep, I think it ranks pretty much up there!  Now we are down to the wire and sitting at the edge of a cliff, so to say.  We only have until January 3rd to raise the rest of our monthly support and we have this huge amount of 25,000 to raise for the one time expenses like airplane tickets and training and moving costs.  

Corrie Ten Boom once said something like, God doesn't pay for the train ticket until the train gets there...  He is amazing and makes life so exciting.  So I choose to say that life is sure exciting right now.  "Do you trust Me?, do you TRUST Me?"  Yes, I trust you, Lord, help me to trust you more!  

I hope you can come back and visit this new place and way to share in my life and in the lives of the Seven of Us.  Thank you for your love and prayers.  Always sincerely, 

Ruthe