Blessings of the financial kind

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God is so very good and I am so very proud of my hubby!

Hubby met with his boss today to discuss his job performance and how hubby feels about the company thus far. He walked away with a raise and a bonus! Praise the Lord!

Hubby’s boss also gave him a $50 gift card to the Olive Garden so that hubby can take me out on a date. It’s the boss’ way of saying “thanks and I’m sorry” for taking up a good portion of our evenings and weekends in October. Hurray! We’ve never spent that much money at the Olive Garden. This means we’ll be able to get an appetizer, two entrees, and dessert! What a treat!

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Praise report

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Praise the Lord! Today was a very good day for our car. We visited Jiffy Lube and had an oil change done (expensive, even with a coupon!). Then we had our emissions tested so that we could renew our car registration. The car passed!

I’ve been reading a lot lately. Today I finished the book Unveiled, the story of Tamar, by Francine Rivers. It was a quick read but very good. Tamar’s story is a short one, covered in Genesis 38. Only one chapter is written about her, but the story covers years in time. I had always wondered why Tamar chose to disguise herself as a prostitute, of all things. The book gave me understanding of one possible reason she made that choice.

I found the book at the library. If you have a chance to read it, check it out. It’s a great insight into a strong woman who is included in Christ’s lineage.

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What???

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Is it July already? How did this happen? I just turned around and found that it’s already July. How is it possible that times passes so quickly?

I recieved two great surprises in my email this morning! First, our car registration for 2010 decreased! We’re only paying $89 for one year. I think last year was around $119. I guess that means the value of our car has also decreased, but that’s ok. We’re almost ready to pass 116,000 miles.

The second surprise was our electric bill. When I saw the subject line on that email, I cringed. We finally succomed to the heat and turned the air conditioning on. Last summer, our bills with AC were about $135/month. Our bills when we’re not running heat or AC run around $80. Our bill for June is $100. Not bad! I will admit that the bill is low probably because we only ran our AC for about a week in June. I’m sure July will be much worse.

At least our emergency fund will be replenished by the end of the month! Then I’ll breathe just a little bit easier.

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100th Post

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This is my 100th post. In commemoration of this auspicious event, I’d like to post one of my favorite Bible texts.

With what shall I come to the LORD
And bow myself before the God on high?
Shall I come to Him with burnt offerings,
With yearling calves?
Does the LORD take delight in thousands of rams,
In ten thousand rivers of oil?
Shall I present my firstborn for my rebellious acts,
The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
He has told you, O man, what is good;
And what does the LORD require of you
But to do justice, to love kindness,
And to walk humbly with your God?
(Micah 6:6-8, NASB)

Amen. May I ever walk humbly with my God.

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Lord, you know me.

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I saw this text on another blog this week but had to post it here as well. This is such a comforting passage, especially at this time in our lives. I’m so glad Sabbath is almost here.

O LORD, You have searched me and known me.
You know my sitting down and my rising up;
You understand my thought afar off.
You comprehend my path and my lying down,
And are acquainted with all my ways.
For there is not a word on my tongue,
But behold, O LORD, You know it altogether.
You have hedged me behind and before,
And laid Your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
It is high, I cannot attain it
(Psalms 139:1-6).

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God is so good!

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We have had a great day financially, if that’s possible when both husband and wife have been out of work for 4+ months. 🙂

This morning, we deposited my husband’s check from that 2 week contract job he completed. When the teller handed me the deposit slip, I was surprised to see a $700 account balance. Our checking account hasn’t held that much money in quite awhile. When I came home, I logged into the online banking and found out that we did have $700. Between the check, some help from hubby’s dad, and a deposit from half.com, we had money to pay several more bills.

We are now paid up through the end of April. Yay! Every single bill has been paid in full, on time, and no credit cards were used. God is very very good. Also, I paid May’s car payment and realized that the payment brought our balance below $6,000. I love celebrating the small milestones. When I entered the payment in my spreadsheet, I was pleasantly surprised to see that we have now paid off 25% of our total debt. We are making progress, even though we’re both looking for jobs.

God is so good! He provides even when you least expect it. There are still big hurdles ahead, but when I see how God is helping us over the small hurdles, it’s much easier to have faith that He will help us over the large.

And my God will supply all your needs
according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus
(Philippians 4:19, NASB).

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Today was a great day!

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Today was a great day. We woke up early, exercised, and ate a good breakfast (haystacks!). We spent most of the day job searching, posting stuff to sell online, and cleaning up the apartment.

We sold another couple video games today. We only have a couple left. Everything is posted online for sale and we’re hoping the rest will sell in the next couple weeks. I also posted our bookshelves for sale on Craigslist, as well as my SLR camera. It kind of hurts selling off your belongings, but I am so thankful that we are still able to pay the bills. Each item sold helps pay another bill. No late payments yet!

Hubby and I also had our devotional time in the morning. Usually, we read the Bible together in the evenings, but I’d like to switch to mornings if hubby is agreeable. I find that my day goes smoother when I read God’s word earlier. Almost as if I have advice and encouragement to remember all day long instead of looking back on the day to see how things could be done differently.

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Time with God

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I’m so glad the weekend is here, especially the Sabbath. I love taking 24 hours off to rest with God.

I’ll be back next week with more uplifting posts. This time with God tonight and tomorrow will be uplifting and faith building. I can tell it’s going to be a great day. 🙂

But he led His own people like a flock of sheep,
guiding them safely through the wilderness
(Psalm 78:52, NLT).

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Encouragement in times of trouble

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It’s late and I should be in bed. Hubby came home from his assignment about half an hour ago so we’re still up. This text spoke to me just now. The Lord will guide me. Continually. In everything that’s going on right now, I can have hope that the Lord will guide me and restore my strength. That’s exactly what I need right now.

The Lord will guide you continually,
giving you water when you are dry
and restoring your strength.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
like an ever-flowing spring
(Isaiah 58:11).

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Stress – how much more can we handle?

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I haven’t posted in a few days. I’ve been really stressed and haven’t felt like posting just to complain. Hubby and I are pretty much out of money. We have enough money for April’s rent plus a student loan payment, but that’s it. A few bills might not get paid next month or will only receive partial payments.

Thankfully, one of our friends from church has pitched in to provide groceries. She brought us a few bags of groceries and gave us a Walmart gift card to buy more food as needed. A coworker of hers also gave us a gift card anonymously. The friend has lifted us up in prayer at work and another coworker today gave us $100. Every time I think about people’s generosity, I want to cry. It’s very humbling to admit you need help and it feels humiliating at times.

I’ve revised and polished my resume and am working on a cover letter. Hubby and I have agreed that I will start searching for a job. Even part time would really help out. My contract work is sporadic and I welcome it when it arrives, but I’m earning less than $100 per month. Neither of us want me to work, but we’re not sure what else to do. We’re praying about it, though, wanting to do what the Lord wills. If He wants me to get a job, then He’ll provide. If He doesn’t want me to get a job, then hopefully Jeff will receive an offer soon.

Also, an old car accident from 2003 has reared it’s ugly head. We thought that was resolved, an accident Jeff was involved in before we met. Unfortunately, the insurance company is trying to collect damages from Jeff and is suing us for $9300. Long story, but we’re looking for a lawyer who will sit down for a consultation and let us know what the best course of action is. We can’t afford to pay the debt now, but we’re willing to make payments after we’re employed.

Please pray for us. I thought I couldn’t handle much more, but the stress and pressure keeps mounting. God isn’t going to give me more than I can handle, so He must have a high opinion of my threshhold for stress. 🙂 There are a few moments of hope in this experience, like the free food and the monetary gifts, the support from friends and all the prayers. God will take care of us and we should have an amazing testimony to share after this is over. I just hope I can continue to remember all the good when the stress has me overwhelmed.

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