A New Revelation

God has answered my prayers... I mean, He always does, but sometimes, not always in the way, I expect, of course.  You know, He's kinda sneaky about the way He does things, and sometimes, we just have to hold on for the ride, because although our prayers aren't answered in the way we want, Jesus will never deny a prayer, and a prayer will never go unanswered. I dig the sneakiness, though.

My husband works a long hard day and a long and hard week, leaving Sunday's our to-do days, our run around day's, and anything but our relaxing days.  Typically, with his work schedule, I see him approximately 3 hours out of each day, minus the little "end of the day routine" business we all do before we crash when night falls.  Typically, we eat dinner when the sun has already fully set, and the stars are already being wished upon. And typically, we finally close our eyes when the clock strikes mid-night (at least, I do, anyway), and then, we do it all over again 6 days out of the week. 

We haven't had the energy or the time for our us and for our family.  And I hate to make this comparison, because I do not know exactly what it is like, but since January, I have felt like a single mother; the cooking, the cleaning, and the father and mother duties were left to me.  However, bringing home most of the bacon was left to my husband.  And well, that's about all he actually had time for.  

It was getting to the point, where church was being missed, prayer before bed was forgotten, and our Couples Bible was collecting dust.  God was being pushed further and further outside of this home and outside of our marriage.  

March came, and we moved into our first house.  At this point, I thought, "Yes! Yes! More time together, more time to do those things we weren't able to do prior to now."  But, I was wrong.  An entire house was left to me to care for and to clean (not to mention, unpack and rearrange), and my business was busy.  So now, not only was Jr exhausted, but I was, too.  

Soon, after our first couple of weeks of living here, problem after problem began to arise and not just with the house, but regarding other circumstances. Not to mention, my sister was gone, and someone who was normally a phone call away was now a 3-4 days mail letter delivery away.  And I didn't know how to handle it all, because the relationship I had with my Creator was diluted by the busy day and by the lack of time, so if anything, instead of drawing closer to Him during this time, I pushed Him away.

I tried reorganizing my day, but only found myself even more exhausted not only physically, but mentally.  I couldn't grasp a hold of everything, at least not in a "saving grace" kinda way.  I was a wreck and chaos was a'brewin'. 

Then, whenever I could find down time, I'd sit and think about all of our life goals, and how in the world where we ever going to achieve them with this constant lifestyle. How? I look at my husband, and I see exhaustion; baggy eyes, and a lack of swag. (yes, swag) I knew we needed a change; a change of some sort.  

In March, I began to pray for this specific purpose; for some type of breakthrough.  Pray to be able to see my husband more.  Pray that our marriage grow stronger, and then ultimately, our family.  Pray that we are more involved in our church.  It was a link of prayers; each prayer tied to the other.  Sometimes, I would sit in tears wondering when our world would change, and in the mean time, what I could do to change it.

We went to church this past Sunday, and it was a mini yet MINI breakthrough for me.  The Great I Am.  The shepherd to this lost dumb sheep (that would be me).  Here, I was off grazing on some grass in the farthest part of the pasture, while my Shepherd was calling me from a distance, but I was too busy grazing to look up and see Him, standing there with open arms, and a path that needed to be followed.  I was on my own path... again, just grazing away.  The Great I Am... The Great Strength, the Great Organization.  The Great Wisdom.  The Great Patience.  The Great Shepherd.

Jr called me Tuesday afternoon right before leaving work.  His manager told him they were cutting back on overtime.  So now, in addition to having Saturday's off, he gets off 2 hours earlier each day.  Wow.  Tears filled my eyes... you mean, I actually get to see and spend time with my husband more than 3 hours a day??  You mean, we can actually spend time relaxing?  And then, those ideas and thoughts broadened into our future.  Yeah, money is going to be tight (I have also taken much time off to focus on what I need to be focusing on right now), but the last time it was, the Ayala's had themselves a revelation that catapulted itself into our faith and into the family we are, today. I'm overjoyed just thinking about where He is taking us, next.  Just thinking about where we will be 3 months from now; or heck, even a month from now.  I'm ready. We're ready! 

Thank you, Lord, for answering my prayers day in and day out.  Thank You for never giving up on us, and thank You for never letting go.  You are our light and our salvation, and wherever You will lead, we will follow!

¹ The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
 ² He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
 ³ he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
   for his name’s sake.
⁴ Even though I walk
   through the darkest valley,^[a]
I will fear no evil,
   for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
   they comfort me.

 ⁵ You prepare a table before me
   in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
   my cup overflows.
⁶ Surely your goodness and love will follow me
   all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD
   forever. 

Psalm 23

Psalm 23 also happened to be my sweet grandmother's favorite verse.  She recited it always and always referenced back to it.  Its highlighted in her Bible (which I now, have), and it was read during her funeral service.  Before this Sunday, this verse never meant much to me, as I never fully read into it.  But this week has been a beautiful week, because I have etched in my brain "The Lord is my Shepherd." I now, see why this verse meant so very much to her...

If you'd like to listen to the same sermon that marked a smile on my heart, check it out here @ cof.tv

Faith and Love,
Casey

One Year Anniversary

This Easter will mark our 1 year anniversary.  A celebration of many anniversaries.  One being a year at Community of Faith.  And the rest... history.  Wow.  I can't even begin to describe how much our life changed for the better after attending our very first service as a family.  

You know, I was always the one to say that going to church wasn't a big deal, and that it wasn't needed to be a Christian. But honestly speaking, my entire view on church has changed since the very first time we sat as a family in that church.  It was like God breathed life into our little world, our marriage, and into our hearts. 

I can't imagine life without church.  And I can't imagine life without THIS church. 

Only being there a year, and I have met some extraordinary people.  None of which are perfect, and all of which have their own set problems, worries, and drama.  Nonetheless, beautiful passionate people.  I can't describe how each of them has impacted my life in so many different ways.  And that's considering I've only been there a year.  I am so so excited to see where the Lord takes us within and around this church.  

So far, we've been apart of Serve Saturday, which is a Saturday out of each month where the church goes to help around the city! And boy, do they help!!  Unfortunately, due to Jr's schedule, we haven't been able to attend as much as we'd like, but in just the times we have gone... wow.  Talk about humbleness. 

We've also attended small group, and again with Jr's schedule that didn't last too long, but during the time we were there, we learned the importance of tithing... something that never crossed our minds before then. 

My sister is also apart of the Praise Team. Yes, indeed! And both sisters are apart of the choir!  

Aislynn is known for her artistic skills in the daycare/school area. This cracks me up!

I've also been personally mentored by two of THE most amazing women I have ever met. And funny thing is, I've only been mentored by them once, and that once was WOW.  Eye opening, humbling, and convicting. 

We've also been to couples coaching... fun fun! And Jr and I are looking to take it further and get profession coaching.  Not saying we have any major major problems, and I don't think you need to have "problems" to seek outside counsel, but we love to talk about our marriage, and what we as individuals can do to make a difference for each other. 

Really, there's just too much to say about how God has used church (and this church particularly) to help shape and mold our lives, today.  I think humble is the key word, here. It has completely changed our lives, and I can't imagine going back to our way of living before we stepped through those front doors.

If you're in the Houston area, and are looking for a church to attend, stop by COF!! You'll be glad you did!

The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. 

-- 1 Corinthians 12:12

Faith and Love,
Casey

Money! Money! Money! Money!

Monayyyyyyy!

That sweet green paper... or really that sweet piece of plastic.  Funny how it binds us to this filthy earth, and funny how its our sweet escape.  At least, I'm speaking for myself, here.   

Retail therapy... ahh who needs drugs when you can swipe that sucker at the blink of an eye and get the same affects physically, mentally, and financially... okay, and spiritually. It becomes an addiction, and me, well... I've been addicted.  If its not food, its shopping.  And if its not shopping, its food.  And really, I can think of a million different excuses as to why I shop till I drop.

But really, I know what I truly need, and it ain't that new maxi dress at Old Navy  (which btw, I returned).  

Its gotten so bad, that I've prayed and prayed for God to intervene during my shopping trips, and when He did, I ignored it... put those items at the register counter, and swiped that card with a smile on my face.  No sooner, did I find myself in complete tears, knowing exactly what I did, and didn't need to do.  I knew for a fact, God was convicting my heart... and??

We had even attended community group at church which was solely based on finances and tithing.  Yeah, I loveeeee to give!  But do those whom I give, really need it?  Do they need that extra glass miniature sitting on their already dust book shelf? Prob not, but the satisfaction of me buying something, and someone else claiming the prize while leaving my hands clean of dirty sounded pretty darn good.  Not to mention... I really do like to give.  I'm a giver at heart.

It wasn't until one service at church that struck a chord in me.  God whispered to me... "its time."  But this time, there was no ignoring it. It really was time, and He wasn't going to take "no" for an answer, and really, He didn't have to.  He was right... it was time.  My heart was ready.  I won't lie though, the devil attacked and filled my mind with questions like, "what about paying for Aislynn's school?" What about this, and what about that?   

Just as the devil was about to take victory, I looked inside of my purse, and there was my checkbook (something I rarely carry with me).  I quickly took it out, and wrote a check for exactly 10% of our weekly income.  

Up!  Once again, God moved me... in the direction of the pastor.  As I stood before him, tears filled my eyes, and honesty graced my lips.  "This has been really really hard for us... REALLY hard.  We just can't seem to part with 10%, but today was different... Today God touched my heart..."  And there I was, handing the pastor 10%...  a 10% I could have used to buy that maxi dress, some oober cute sandals, and a fashion smashion handbag with fab sunglasses.  

Today, here we are... bills on top of bills... as as new homeowners (without a single clue), extra added bills on top of bills.  Bills exceeding income.  Last weekend, I had planned on not tithing the complete 10%, but instead picking back up in July.  This was dead set in my mind. Dead set. 

Up! There He goes again... He guided my heart, and there I went... 10% gone in an instant, and with no pain or conflict on my end.  He repeatedly nudged me during service that Sunday... the worship songs, the sermon.  

Here we are in April, and to be honest, I don't even recall how many 10% checks we've tithed. But there has yet to be a break in the pattern... its 10% every single week without fail.  Its like that 10% was never even there, and no, not because we make oodles of money to where we don't notice. HA! I wish. lol  But it has never crippled us.  

Although, this week was hard, and I do mean hard financially, He showed up at the last minute... you know, like Superman... He saved the day.  He provided.  Just as He promised He would. 

 

(ps. My church isn't the kind to ask for money every time you turn around... in fact, they never ask for money, and when they do, its rare... very rare.)

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?

-- Matthew 6:25 

Faith and Love,
Casey