Finally Friday. . .

Another crazy week behind us and a crazy weekend ahead of us.   The other day I was trying to get my house back to some semblance of normalcy and I found an old journal from when I was finishing up the Dave Ramsey Financial Peace University class back in July of 2012.  During this time we were trying to refinance our house to get the great rates they were offering then.  The hubbs and I both had pristine credit and almost no debt due to our Dave Ramsey plan.  We were getting the run around from one bank and so I called one of my friends in the banking business and her reply was priceless.  I told her what was going on and all she said was bring me your papers and I will see what I can do.  We had been jumping through hoops for this one bank for 2 1/2 months and she got it done with a lower interest rate in less than 30 days.  Love her dearly, she was a life saver.
My point to this story is, shop around anytime you are looking for a loan of any sort.   Find out what they require up front and what the turn around time is for the paper work and what their time line is for your approval.  If you know someone in the business talk with them, I would probably still be waiting for the first bank to get around to our approval if I had not called my friend.
As I am reading back over my journal of what was going on in our lives I realize how God has worked through so much for us.  During this particular time of refinancing and getting out of debt my dear hubby was also facing a company wide layoff.   This was the third time in a few years that he survived and was not laid off.  I give full credit to the good Lord above for getting us through that ordeal.  We are a single income family and I do believe that God watches over us each and every day and I see it more clearly reading over my old journals.  I began writing in a journal when I participated in my first Gemeinschaft ( geh-mine-shaft) Bible study in 2009.  Gemeinschaft is a small group Bible study of the Moravian Church designed to provide an intentional and disciplined program that will enable people of faith to grow and experience God's saving grace and power in our lives.  I still journal and read my daily text and Bible daily thanks in part to the routine that I began during Gemeinschaft. 
When you journal and write your prayers down or write down things that are troubling you that you are asking God for help with you can look back and see how he responded.  

I know I have gone in all different directions today with this post but, I write what is on my heart and some days my heart is all over the place.  

New Bible Study. . . .

I have joined a new Bible study based on a book, "What Happens When Women Say Yes to God."  We read and do work in the book and post online our thoughts and such.  As you know we do nightly devotions as a family.  We read a devotion "Keys for Kids" it is an online site that does great devotions for kids and we read the Bible.  We have read all of Proverbs and are almost through with Psalms.  I was not in a good mood last night and feeling kinda blah and I was only going to read out of the Bible and not do the online devotion.  Big T came up first and sat beside me on the couch and while we were waiting for hubby and Sprat, Big T said can we please do the online devotion.  I reluctantly agreed, I was just really tired.  I pulled my computer out, got my hamsters running and finally got to the website.  The devotion was about how Satan can goad you into doing things that go against God's commandments.  The little boy was getting bullied on the bus from school.  His mom told him he needed to try and find a way to deal with his frustration with this bully without fighting.  The next day he came home and was very happy.  He had sat at the front of the bus and avoided the bully all together.  His mom got to thinking about how her son had changed his circumstances and avoided the bully by moving closer to someone in authority.  His mom said maybe she should move closer to Jesus and try to have a closer relationship with him to keep Satan away from her.
I felt like this mom in the devotion.  Big T made me read this devotion and it just reinforces my need to be in my new Bible study.  I always laugh when God just comes right out and says this is where you are supposed to be.  Last night I thanked my sweet Big T for getting me to read the devotion, it was Gods' plan all along.  I said yes, and got  a lesson for myself.   So thankful!!!!!