My Journey

“While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, Cold and heat, Winter and summer, And day and night Shall not cease.”

Genesis 8:22 NKJ

Life is a journey full of changes, twists and turns many we can see coming but choose to ignore. I see change coming and this time I choose not to ignore. I am a Bible Believing Christian and the promises God has made is all we can hold certain.

This blog is about one aspect of my journey that seems to be very interesting to many Americans and will mostly be about the transformation of my 1/3 acre plot on the edge of a small Oregon town. I hope to create a mini small town homestead out of our hillside and do what I can to make our home more sustainable. God has impressed on me more than once that this is where we belong so I will endeavor to be a good steward with the small plot of earth He has provided.

Everyone has a testimony of how they got to where they are, here is mine...

Born to wonderful parents in 1960 in a beautiful small Oregon town the first 7 years of my life were carefree and pretty idealistic. 1968 is where it gets interesting. We, my parents, grandparents and brother along with many of our extended family belonged to a Jesus Name Oneness church who's pastor was heading down the wrong path, he was bitten by the power bug. Ruling his small flock by fear and in typical cult style he moved us away from our family and friends. During those transition years most walked away including my dad. With only  8 left in his flock we went on with life for years until 1974 God spoke to my heart. I had somehow been protected from swallowing the cult kool-aide and I knew I had to leave. At 14 I walked away, left my brother to deal with my moms broken heart, disappointed my grandparents and went to live with my dad.

Looking back on those years now I can see the hand of God protecting me over and over again. I somehow lived through 25 years of thinking I was destined for hell because I turned my back my religion. I married, divorced, married again and ended up with 5 yours, mine and ours kids. Typical American family...

My mother, brother and grandparents escaped the cult when the pastor was in a car accident and with extensive brain injuries he was no longer a threat to his flock. After many years of spiritual battle thank God they all ended up in a solid bible believing churches, all but me, I was still running hard and fast.

God was still speaking to my heart and  in 1998 He had to drag me 3000 miles away from home, plop me down in a metal folding chair in a school gym and opened my ears to hear the truth. He loved me... after all I had done. My running days were over and I accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior. Thank you Pastor Tom for being there that day and teaching simple biblical salvation to a runaway sinner.

I still try my hardest to listen to God speaking to my heart. Life isn't carefree and perfect but is a long list of learning and growing experiences. I am now part of a wonderful bible teaching church and I quickly involved myself in ministry. God gave me a love for serving people, my greatest joy comes from feeding people, whether it be a plateful of food or simply a coffee and watching as they stop for a few minutes to fellowship and enjoy the company of other believers. Interesting how God works, my greatest joy comes from watching what is hardest for me to do, connecting and sharing with someone face to face.

In 2009 things started to change for me, God was turning me in a different direction that I didn't understand and simply didn't like. I lost my job, all of my ministries from serving at our mission base in Mexico to running the church coffee house and cooking at retreats, they all simply vanished. I didn't handle it very gracefully and was downright angry about it. I blamed it on everything and everyone else except what it was, God was getting me ready for what was ahead. In 2010 my husband had a stroke, a major one that left him totally bedridden for almost a year. He has slowly regained some limited movement, thankfully never lost his speech or cognitive ability but is still wheelchair bound. I now thank God that he simplified my life to the point I where I was able to concentrate on taking care of my husband.  

Throughout my whole life God has given me the ability to sense when change is coming. He has sometimes given me clarity on how to act and other times just that overwhelming feeling that change is in the air but no answers as to what or where. Major change is in the air, open your heart an eyes and God will show you the path.

 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all you way aknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths.

Proverbs 3: 5 & 6