Guide Me

Dear Lord, guide me towards Your plan. – Marion Bond West

It’s been quite the roller coaster ride these past several days. We found a lovely home that needed work and the owner was open to us living rent-free while we get it back into shape. I was sort of in shock with the entire unfolding of the situation and in such a state of gratitude and faith that I kept repeating “Oh, my God”, “Oh, my God”, “Oh, my God.”

When we revisited the property and saw that it needed much too much work before we could even store our belongings there, I felt deflated. But soon I pulled myself up and stated “God just has something better for us.” We informed the owner that it was too much of a project to suit us and wished him good luck.

With time appearing to run out to move out of our current home because of an impending trustee sale that had been postponed twice before, we seriously started checking out sharing a house with someone. It would require less cash on our part, which has not yet manifested in sufficiently abundant amounts yet. We found a lovely woman with a lovely house – but we realized we really couldn’t live with someone else. With little money to rent our own place, I feel at a standstill, not knowing what to do. These days I guess you could say I'm feeling a little frustrated.

And the news today is:

I’ve found out that I’m to receive a gift check from some dear relatives. It’ll help us with our first month’s rent and other expenses.

The house trustee sale was postponed yet again, giving us some breathing space even though we need to get settled in our new community.

The owner of the house in need of repairs still seems to want us to consider living there and making renovations. He’s coming in from CA this weekend and it seems like he’s already got some plans to fix things – who knows if he’ll persuade us.

I feel like a yo-yo riding a roller coaster - what is God’s plan for me? I have a vanity license plate that reads GUIDE ME. I specifically chose it so that I could regularly be reminded of where I stand in relation to God. These days I guess you could say I'm feeling a little frustrated.

Dear Spirit – Please guide me towards Your plan about living quarters and keep me open to creative ideas, and patient with the time line. All happens in Your time. Thank You for delaying the trustee sale yet again, so that all the pieces can come together with ease and grace like a beautiful, finely woven tapestry.

The Hand of Prayer

I came across this method of prayer on OurPrayer.com, a part of the Ruth Stafford Peale Prayer Power Network. It's said to be a great tool to use if you aren't sure what to pray about or how to begin your time of worship. I think it’s pretty clever!

1. Your thumb is nearest you. So begin your prayers by praying for those closest to you. They are the easiest to remember. C. S. Lewis once said, "To pray for our loved ones is a sweet duty."

2. The next finger is the pointing finger. Pray for those who teach, instruct and heal. This includes teachers, doctors, and ministers. They need support and wisdom in pointing others in the right direction. Keep them in your prayers.

3. The next finger is the tallest finger. It reminds us of our leaders. Pray for the president, leaders in business and industry, and administrators. These people shape our nation and guide public opinion. They need God's guidance.

4. The fourth finger is our ring finger. Surprising to many is the fact that this is our weakest finger, as any piano teacher will testify. It should remind us to pray for those who are weak, in trouble or in pain. They need your prayers day and night. You cannot pray too much for them.

5. And lastly our little finger, the smallest finger of all which is where we should place ourselves in relation to God and others. As the Bible says, 'The least shall be the greatest among you.' Your pinkie should remind you to pray for yourself. By the time you have prayed for the other four groups, your own needs will be put into proper perspective and you will be able to pray for yourself more effectively.

My True Home

Yesterday we thought we’d found a lovely place to live, a rustic house with a cottage and large garage on ¼ acre, in a convenient location in Sedona. It turned out the place needed work so we proposed to the out-of-state owner that we live there rent-free in exchange for getting the place up to snuff, then start paying rent. He was most open to the idea. We felt Spirit at work, manifesting our home in a way that would be win-win for all. My excitement and gratitude could hardly be contained.

In revisiting the place today and with closer inspection, we saw the place is really inhabitable. Our excitement was dashed, but we knew it was for the best. God is leading us to something better – I just wish He’d hurry (as it appears that time is running out)!

A reading this morning reminded me once again that God is always with me and within me. All things work together for my highest good and so I relax and affirm that all is well right here and now.

And, wherever I go, I make myself at home by sharing the love in my heart.

No matter where Rog and I eventually land up laying our heads down at the end of the day in our new community, home will be with me in my heart, with God.

Dear God;
Thank You for Your many blessings. I am in gratitude and awe at the unfolding of our new life plan. Please keep me patient and faithful that all is well in Your hands.

I Can Do All Things

“This is the day when I fully release the concept of lack or limitation from my consciousness. I can do all things.” – Daily Word, October 11, 2009

And, I can do all things because I’m not alone. God is my strength through and through. With such Power, Supply, Wisdom, Love, and Peace, I can do all things.

Suddenly

I nonchalantly applied for a part-time position in Sedona via Craigslist on Thursday evening and had a most enthusiastic reply email sitting in my Inbox Friday morning, before we left for a day trip to Sedona. The business owner called me as we were driving north and we set up an afternoon appointment. I was offered the position on the spot and I formally accepted this morning.

Now this isn’t just about a quick deal – this is about an easy-going interview and it seeming to me (and I think to this person too) that it was just a done deal before we really even got started. It appears to be a dream situation that is mutually beneficial. And, not only is it a worthwhile business situation, but it will help me lay down roots in the community.

It’s ‘interesting’ that the job listing got taken down earlier in the day and the business owner didn’t know why. Rog said Spirit made that happen because there was no longer a need once I responded.

I felt a bit in the twilight zone yesterday because of the speed of this all. Spirit worked quickly and in Its own way. And, without even knowing fully what an action on my part would yield, Spirit took over and provided a wondrous result that I couldn’t have fathomed.

The message I got this morning as I was working on digesting what had happened yesterday was that everything was going to happen suddenly from here on in to get our new life set up. We’ve been seeking Spirit’s guidance and help, and it feels like the floodgates have just opened.

I’m going to hang onto the reins these next few days especially as God starts putting the final pieces together for our new life up in Red Rock County. I am filled with enthusiastic expectancy to see how the details pan out. With God orchestrating it, I know that the full picture will be a delight.

Real Action

“... prayer is really the only thing that matters. The only way man in which man can improve himself or his conditions, get a better knowledge of God... is by prayer. Prayer indeed is the only real action there is; that is to say, it is the only action that makes things different.”

- Emmet Fox, The Garden of Allah

That says it all. What more need I do?...

Channels

Dear God –

Thank You for Your many, many blessings. I know that You are my Source, my Supply for everything, everything, everything. And, I am soooo grateful.

I know that Your Supply comes through channels, but they always lead back to You, Source.

So many new channels have opened up recently for me. Via the Internet through such tools as Craigslist, Facebook, eBay, and email in general, I have newly met a wealth of wonderful people, rekindled former relationships, and strengthened present ones, business and social. When I go about the day and chores (like going into a food store, bank, or library), You have given me the opportunity to open up channels to more of You. And, attending various social and business meetings, I am exposed to even more of Your channels.

Thank You for Your channels, Your other children, through whom I am blessed with Your love, financial prosperity, and wealth of all kinds.