I don't know if I am different than most people, but I remember incredible details from my childhood and very specific events and thoughts I had during that time. Facebook, for those of you who are on it, has opened up a new door to reconnecting with all kinds of people from our past. Many people find this exercise a waste of time and energy. I find it somewhat nostalgic and also enjoy reflecting on who I was as a child and what I thought about people and the world. This is especially significant as I am now grown and have five children of my own who look at people and the world much differently than I do at 34, and yet I see how significant and formative the childhood thoughts they are having today can and will be.
One example of this is my reconnecting with a bunch of people whose families attended the church I went to when I was young. Growing up, my church was most of my life and I viewed all of my church family very highly, even if I didn't know them. Many of the people I am connecting with were older than me by 3 to 6 years and knew of me, but more likely knew me through my sister Heather who is almost 5 years older than me. What they don't know is that as a child I looked up to the older kids very much and held them in a very high regard. Even today as I connect with them through Facebook, I feel an affinity with them that they don't necessarily feel with me. I am the brat kid brother of Heather ...which sadly was true on many accounts. Yet, this connection from my youth is still important to me and I appreciate the opportunity to interact with them, feeble and shallow as it might seem.
Then there are the important people from my youth, one of whom I just connected with yesterday through Facebook. Growing up I did not spend much time in my home unless I was watching TV or playing video games. Mostly, I was wandering about my hometown of Romeo, Michigan on my bike, filling my days with whatever. During the summers especially, I was always looking for things to fill my time. Somewhere along the way I met the Brink family who lived just three blocks away. Their dad was a minister in the Southern Baptist Church, and had been assigned to the church in our town. They were a "large" family with five kids from somewhere down south, had accents we made fun of from time to time, and they didn't have a TV. No doubt about it...they were weird...or so I thought.
Mr. and Mrs. Brink were very stable and solid people. Mrs. Brink was very generous and kind and who knows how many meals I mooched off of them and her over the years. Eric, who was in my grade, and his brothers would join me in all kinds of imaginative games and make-believe...you know, stuff kids should do more of these days. We formed clubs of various kinds that met in the back of our crazy garage/barn which used to be a "chicken coop". We played football, baseball, kickball, and many other sports games together. Some mornings, I would be over to their house before they had breakfast. They were a great family and their home was a good place for me to dwell as a child. God definitely placed them in my adolescent life for a purpose I would not see until all these years later.
Sadly, as I grew older and succumbed to the peer pressures of junior high and trying to be cool (which I wasn't), I began to scorn Eric and their family. Because they were different, and by different I mean kind, unified as a family, respectful to their parents, and less affluent, I decided I was better than they were at some level. Ironically enough, my junior high years were very lonely and sad years in my life, as I felt disconnected from family, friends, God, just about everyone. Adolescence can be such a hard time, and especially if a child has no trustworthy source to talk with and help guide them through, and even then it is still filled with challenges. I reconnected with Eric a little through morning basketball in high school but never really reengaged him nor his family again. We graduated from high school, their family moved away to a new assignment out west and I never saw them again, but thought of them from time to time over the years.
Then Eric shows up on Facebook this week and my mind wanders back to all the memories and childhood events that involved him and his family in my life. What was "weird" to me back then is now my life...five kids, a TV that is rarely used in our home, a choice to live less affluently, and my serving as a pastor...just like his father did. Even as I write this, I am amazed at what has transpired and how we are the Brink family, except that our accent is more nasally than theirs was. I will forward this link on to Eric and his siblings and ask that he forward it on to his parents as well. They should know of the impact their home and ministry had, albeit abstract and unknown to me at the time. I am so thankful for the "different" family that lived on the corner of Benjamin and Main Street next to the old white church in town. I hope that we Zilkies might be a refuge to a young "Jeremy" out there, who needs a safe and loving place to rest and receive the unconditional love of Jesus, even as their world is filled with challenges and dangers they aren't quite sure how to navigate.
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The Narrow Path
Showing posts with label Michigan Memories. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Michigan Memories. Show all posts
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Trusting God
As Julie and I continue to settle into life here in St. Louis and at Rooftop we often find ourselves reflecting back on our journey in getting here. The other day we both looked back on all of the churches where we applied to throughout 2008 and the numerous ministry positions which we made the final 10, final 5, and on several occasions the final 2 or 3. Yet at each point we were told, "sorry, we are going in a different direction." I remember the feeling in my gut when I heard that after months of pursuing each of these different positions, once again this was a closed door. We got used to, and even pretty good at being rejected with grace and also with inquisitive questions as to what we were lacking.
There was a church in Grand Rapids which we were one of the final 3 candidates and getting all the right signs from them. It looked very promising after our on-site interview and we were getting quite excited and then a week later...they went silent. Our family attended their service that weekend and the previous enthusiasm we had seen had been replaced with a polite "hello" followed by a little awkwardness. A week later we hear that they had gone with the dark horse candidate who took the interview process by storm and ultimately took the position.
There was another church in the Houston area that we traveled to for a formal interview. It was between me and an older gentleman. The church had a choice of the younger, passionate, and somewhat "risky" Jeremy or the older, established, stable (other guy). We had a lot to offer that church and community in connecting better with younger people and families and I thought we were going to get that offer. In fact, although Julie wasn't sold on the church I kept telling her that if they offered us we should accept. However, if I am honest, I was saying "yes" for many of the wrong reasons. We would have been repeating some of the problems we faced at our previous church that were related to how we "fit" with the church culture, and yet I was feeling desperate. It was pretty much a coin flip and they chose the other guy. You can only wonder what would have happened had they said yes and how different so many things would be.
There was even one church in Tennessee who after speaking with their two lead pastors decided that they were going in a different direction as well. When I asked them about other candidates and what they had found, they said, "oh, there are no other candidates, we just don't feel like you would be a good fit." Ouch! I had been rejected before, but at least someone had bested me for the position...in this case I lost out to nobody which is much worse.
But it was after the Houston visit in November that things changed for me and for our family. Around Thanksgiving God convicted me of some sinful thoughts and beliefs of mine that were rooted in fear and lacking faith. This was very startling to me as I realized it and led me to fast for an extended period of time in hopes that God would straighten me out. After the fast, heading into 2009, everything had changed. My heart had been renewed and Julie and I had been freed from the process of looking for a church. We were now down to one ministry position (Rooftop) and had decided that if Rooftop didn't work, God was closing the ministry door. In addition to that, I was no longer desperate to get back into vocational ministry. If Rooftop didn't work, then into the marketplace we would stay and likely move back to the Detroit area.
Yet, God had a plan and we had been given freedom from the Holy Spirit. Freedom to say "yes" or "no", based on what God wanted and not what we "needed" to transpire. It was a much different process for us which led to a little drama in the final weeks of the interveiw process here at Rooftop before being offered the position. In our desire to walk this different path, we made some contrarian decisions which contirbuted to the previously mentioned "drama". Ultimately, God is faithful and worked it out for His glory as we authentically sought to seek and obey Him. He can be trusted. The real question is, to what lengths will we go and what will we give up to show our trust in Him?
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Life in the Village
The Zilkie family is in its final week at our home after almost 8 years of living here in Caledonia, Michigan. Julie and I closed on this home on September 21st, 2001 and drove our Ryder truck here with all of our stuff on Saturday, September 29th. When we moved in we were 9 months married and Julie had just found out she was pregnant with David a week earlier. Evidently babies and moving are the norm for us. This cute little 100 year old home has been very good to us.
We have brought home 5 newborn babies into this home as Julie and I learned how to be parents and adjusted to their presence in our lives and their accumulative needs. We have had many of our friends over to this home many times, being blessed by Julie's hospitality and culinary skills in the dessert genre. Rare will we Zilkies have dessert unless we are having company so of course I love to have people over!
We birthed our primary ministry at Kentwood Community in this house, inviting the attendees over to our home in the early years and, as the ministry grew, we held monthly meetings in our home for the ministry leaders. In addition, we often invited members of our ministry over just to enjoy spending time together, share a meal together, and invite our young children into our social life and world. For a period there in 04 and 05 we played many a game of Settlers of Catan here in our home. Honestly we were quite obsessive, packing up our two kids in the evening and switching host homes among the couples we were playing with.
We have grown in friendship with our neighbors across the street. It has been neat to watch their family grow, as they brought home Sophia from Korea to be their daughter just over two years ago. It has been such a blessing to have neighbors that share our passionate faith for Jesus. Julie and Brenda really connected over the years, and Julie will miss her dearly. She is one of the kindest, most generous women we know. And our boys will have to find new friends, and Sam especially has set the bar high for them in this area! We saw Mr. Fischer sadly and graciously watch his wife go home to be with the Lord. We often sent our kids over to be with Mrs. Stack during the day, giving Julie a welcome break. I have enjoyed our conversations with Dave over the years and it has been incredible to see their miracle son Luke be born at 24 weeks last year and now is a fully healthy 15 month old boy. We watched the Butlers next door celebrate anniversaries 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, and 63 now well into their 80s...and still going. Old Ollie always has a story to tell and it has been a privilege to listen to him and laugh with him as he remembers his younger years. He was a Marine who served on a spy/recon plane in the Pacific in World War II and they are still so proud of the service they gave to our country. Being a Marine myself, it is always a pleasure to hear his stories, no matter how many times I may have heard them before.
Conversely, the house on our other side has seen much more different activity as sweet Mary our elderly neighbor when we moved in, lost her second husband shortly after we arrived. After that the Gunns move in with their young family only to move out in turmoil 2 1/2 years later. Forclosed, the house stood vacant for almost 3 years until a bright young man and wonderful neighbor Cody moved in last summer and has been returning the home to its previous glory.
Several years ago we hosted a neighborhood party and met our wonderful friends the Baezs. We have enjoyed a neat friendship with them these past several years and will miss them and especially Rick's laid back and humorous ways. Julie and Shamra teamed together for the past two years to plant a garden, of which we greatly enjoyed the bountiful harvest they received for their work. I know Julie was so blessed to have someone who would "mentor" her in gardening as it seemed rather daunting to her at first.
And we can't forget our local librarians! Boy, do we have some great history with them. I'm specifically thinking of the time Julie checked out a book titled, "Marriage to a Difficult Man" and then sent me to pick it up. It was truly the autobiography of Jonathan and Elizabeth Edwards, and Julie was reading it upon recommendation and had no idea of the actual title of the book. However, it created quite the stir at the library as you can imagine!! Julie was so blessed by her friendship with the ladies at the library, where they supplied her countless "Tuesday evening chats", knitting tips, fresh farm eggs, and just good conversations. They will be so missed!
Julie and I have taken many, many walks with our growing family around our village neighborhood, contemplating the challenges and opportunities of life. We would talk and pray and discuss whatever was before us and feel unified and at peace once we came to a collective decision. I have fought the war against the moles in my back yard steadfastly, even courageuosly, but to no avail...I lost. I leave humbled, knowing that the ugly, "bat without wings"looking creatures bested me time and again.
Now in our final week in our home, we are thankful for the many years, many blessings, and great friends God has blessed us with during our time here in Caledonia. During my trip to St. Louis last week we found a home to live in temporarily as we move there next week. I pray that our time in that home and the one to follow will be as meaningful and special as the years we have lived here in this home, among these great and wonderful people.
We have brought home 5 newborn babies into this home as Julie and I learned how to be parents and adjusted to their presence in our lives and their accumulative needs. We have had many of our friends over to this home many times, being blessed by Julie's hospitality and culinary skills in the dessert genre. Rare will we Zilkies have dessert unless we are having company so of course I love to have people over!
We birthed our primary ministry at Kentwood Community in this house, inviting the attendees over to our home in the early years and, as the ministry grew, we held monthly meetings in our home for the ministry leaders. In addition, we often invited members of our ministry over just to enjoy spending time together, share a meal together, and invite our young children into our social life and world. For a period there in 04 and 05 we played many a game of Settlers of Catan here in our home. Honestly we were quite obsessive, packing up our two kids in the evening and switching host homes among the couples we were playing with.
We have grown in friendship with our neighbors across the street. It has been neat to watch their family grow, as they brought home Sophia from Korea to be their daughter just over two years ago. It has been such a blessing to have neighbors that share our passionate faith for Jesus. Julie and Brenda really connected over the years, and Julie will miss her dearly. She is one of the kindest, most generous women we know. And our boys will have to find new friends, and Sam especially has set the bar high for them in this area! We saw Mr. Fischer sadly and graciously watch his wife go home to be with the Lord. We often sent our kids over to be with Mrs. Stack during the day, giving Julie a welcome break. I have enjoyed our conversations with Dave over the years and it has been incredible to see their miracle son Luke be born at 24 weeks last year and now is a fully healthy 15 month old boy. We watched the Butlers next door celebrate anniversaries 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, and 63 now well into their 80s...and still going. Old Ollie always has a story to tell and it has been a privilege to listen to him and laugh with him as he remembers his younger years. He was a Marine who served on a spy/recon plane in the Pacific in World War II and they are still so proud of the service they gave to our country. Being a Marine myself, it is always a pleasure to hear his stories, no matter how many times I may have heard them before.
Conversely, the house on our other side has seen much more different activity as sweet Mary our elderly neighbor when we moved in, lost her second husband shortly after we arrived. After that the Gunns move in with their young family only to move out in turmoil 2 1/2 years later. Forclosed, the house stood vacant for almost 3 years until a bright young man and wonderful neighbor Cody moved in last summer and has been returning the home to its previous glory.
Several years ago we hosted a neighborhood party and met our wonderful friends the Baezs. We have enjoyed a neat friendship with them these past several years and will miss them and especially Rick's laid back and humorous ways. Julie and Shamra teamed together for the past two years to plant a garden, of which we greatly enjoyed the bountiful harvest they received for their work. I know Julie was so blessed to have someone who would "mentor" her in gardening as it seemed rather daunting to her at first.
And we can't forget our local librarians! Boy, do we have some great history with them. I'm specifically thinking of the time Julie checked out a book titled, "Marriage to a Difficult Man" and then sent me to pick it up. It was truly the autobiography of Jonathan and Elizabeth Edwards, and Julie was reading it upon recommendation and had no idea of the actual title of the book. However, it created quite the stir at the library as you can imagine!! Julie was so blessed by her friendship with the ladies at the library, where they supplied her countless "Tuesday evening chats", knitting tips, fresh farm eggs, and just good conversations. They will be so missed!
Julie and I have taken many, many walks with our growing family around our village neighborhood, contemplating the challenges and opportunities of life. We would talk and pray and discuss whatever was before us and feel unified and at peace once we came to a collective decision. I have fought the war against the moles in my back yard steadfastly, even courageuosly, but to no avail...I lost. I leave humbled, knowing that the ugly, "bat without wings"looking creatures bested me time and again.
Now in our final week in our home, we are thankful for the many years, many blessings, and great friends God has blessed us with during our time here in Caledonia. During my trip to St. Louis last week we found a home to live in temporarily as we move there next week. I pray that our time in that home and the one to follow will be as meaningful and special as the years we have lived here in this home, among these great and wonderful people.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
How Not To Sell A House In 4 Days
In my previous post "4 Days" we talked about the quick sale of our house and how we sense God's leading therein. Well that was not the whole story...
Julie and I had been working for a couple weeks on the house to get it ready for sale. There were 8 years worth of little projects we had thought of doing, but never did that were compressed into two weeks time. On Thursday, March 12 our house officially went up for sale and appeared on MLS or whatever it is called. Now our work list was still not complete at this time and we continued working on it even as the sign went up in the front lawn. On Friday our Realtor, Eric Freeman of Pillar Realty contacted us about our first walk-through which was to take place on Saturday evening. Normally people will leave their home during a viewing, giving any prospective buyers a quiet and comfortable setting to view the home. Well, when you have 4 and 7/8 kids, getting out of the home is not so easy. So we planned to go for a walk Saturday evening while the viewing took place.
All day Saturday we spent time finishing up our list and getting the home ready for our first viewing. As 6:30 came close, Julie put some soothing instrumental music on the iPod in the living room and we began getting the crew out of the house and on our way. Well, for those of you who have multiple children, you know this is easier said than done. The two older boys are pretty self sufficient these days in getting their bikes, but Caroline (3) and Ezekiel (16 months) require a little more assistance getting into the double stroller. Add to that the beautiful, talented, and very pregnant Julie whose days of fluid movement have long since passed and you have a very sloooow progression out of the garage, down the driveway and onto the sidewalk...
About 1/3 of the way down the driveway the first car pulls in and I am thinking "oh crap, we didn't make it". Then all of a sudden this (even more pregnant than Julie) woman gets out of her car and we realize it is the other Realtor. She sees Julie and runs up all excited saying, "oh you are almost having a baby too!!!, my due date is actually today and I am showing a house...yada, yada, yada" Anyway, after a minute or two of pregnancy talk, we continue SLOWLY down the drive way and then the second car pulls in with a young couple and an older couple inside...I think "crap, we missed it again"...
As they are getting out of the car while we are walking by, the middle-aged woman says very emphatically, "Julie!!!" Julie then returns the enthusiasm and says, "Karen!!!" They hug each other and feeling very left out at this point and a little confused, I pipe in with "why don't I know you???" Julie then realizes the inequity of the current social interaction and mentions that she used to work with Karen way back 7 years ago when we first moved to our home in Caledonia. We come to find out that Karen's daughter and son-in-law are newly married and are looking for a starter home (like we were at that very same point in our marriage). This is where the real problem begins...
Up until that time I was pretty focused and aware of what needed and didn't need to happen during this first viewing. However, with all of the commotion and reunions going on, I got distracted. Moreover, I began getting too comfortable with all of the chit-chat and warmth that was taking place before our home even got looked at. It was here that the real Jeremy Zilkie began to come out....
Seeing the "coincidences" and obvious peculiarities about the whole viewing appointment I began thinking (very quickly as I often do) and thought I would inject a little humor and light-heartedness into all that was taking place (since I was the one person not presently included in the many varied conversations). Karen happened to say when she looked at a very pregnant Julie and our four children, "boy, you have been busy!" Well this was my opportunity...loving our kids, our family, and thinking that everyone loves some big family humor, I begin articulating the phrase "Be careful, if you buy this place you too could end up with 5 kids in 8 years" However, as I began saying the words some other thoughts crept into my mind...words of sensibility and wisdom...phrases like: What if they don't want a big family? What if they aren't really big on children? What if they can't have children? Is it really worth being witty and a little funny with these people if you possibly offend them and jeopardize their viewing of your home???
Unfortunately this sensibility did not set in until after a couple words did escape from my mouth, the words "Be careful...", and me being me, I didn't exactly whisper them. Well everyone stops and looks at me as I am now silent and realizing what I have just said. Having raised the general curiosity level of everyone present with my provocative statement, one of the members of the buying party says "Be careful about what?" Completely stupefied and without anything to say to try to recover I quickly stammer the words, "never mind..." and leave my "be careful" comment hanging out there all by itself...
Well at this point, to no one's suprise, the conversations have come to an abrupt end and our family began the slooooow march up the street. Yet, my mind continued..."be careful? be careful?" "What did they think I meant? Why would the owner of the home (me) tell them (the prospective buyers) to be careful and then say 'never mind'?" "They must be thinking something is wrong with the house or I am trying to hide something or who knows what?" I begin to feel an ache in my gut as we continue sauntering along the sidewalk. Julie then inquires what I was talking about when I said what I said. Feeling horrible, not wanting to make her anxious and knowing I might as well have left one of Zeke's dirty diapers on the floor of the kitchen during their viewing, I tell her "nothing, don't worry about it", and we continue on. Well I did worry about it for the next 30 minutes, metaphorically kicking myself as we slowly walked around ONE block in our neighborhood as they looked at the house.
Interestingly enough, this whole time Julie is talking about how sure she is they will love the home, how neat it was to see Karen, how she thinks they will make us an offer and they will probably end up buying our home. I on the other hand, though I am smiling and nodding, know in my mind and heart the metaphorical grenade I threw into the evenings festivities. As we walked I just kept thinking to myself what many others have probably thought of me at one point or another, "Jeremy, you Moron! Why couldn't you just keep quiet?"
When we got back to the house they were gone and our evening went on as normal. When we got the call from Eric the next day with an offer, I was TRULY surprised. It had to be a miracle and an act of God for them to overlook my moronic statement and to love our home as they obviously do. So for those of you who saw God in our home selling in 4 days, consider my contributions on that Saturday evening and be even more amazed.
Julie and I had been working for a couple weeks on the house to get it ready for sale. There were 8 years worth of little projects we had thought of doing, but never did that were compressed into two weeks time. On Thursday, March 12 our house officially went up for sale and appeared on MLS or whatever it is called. Now our work list was still not complete at this time and we continued working on it even as the sign went up in the front lawn. On Friday our Realtor, Eric Freeman of Pillar Realty contacted us about our first walk-through which was to take place on Saturday evening. Normally people will leave their home during a viewing, giving any prospective buyers a quiet and comfortable setting to view the home. Well, when you have 4 and 7/8 kids, getting out of the home is not so easy. So we planned to go for a walk Saturday evening while the viewing took place.
All day Saturday we spent time finishing up our list and getting the home ready for our first viewing. As 6:30 came close, Julie put some soothing instrumental music on the iPod in the living room and we began getting the crew out of the house and on our way. Well, for those of you who have multiple children, you know this is easier said than done. The two older boys are pretty self sufficient these days in getting their bikes, but Caroline (3) and Ezekiel (16 months) require a little more assistance getting into the double stroller. Add to that the beautiful, talented, and very pregnant Julie whose days of fluid movement have long since passed and you have a very sloooow progression out of the garage, down the driveway and onto the sidewalk...
About 1/3 of the way down the driveway the first car pulls in and I am thinking "oh crap, we didn't make it". Then all of a sudden this (even more pregnant than Julie) woman gets out of her car and we realize it is the other Realtor. She sees Julie and runs up all excited saying, "oh you are almost having a baby too!!!, my due date is actually today and I am showing a house...yada, yada, yada" Anyway, after a minute or two of pregnancy talk, we continue SLOWLY down the drive way and then the second car pulls in with a young couple and an older couple inside...I think "crap, we missed it again"...
As they are getting out of the car while we are walking by, the middle-aged woman says very emphatically, "Julie!!!" Julie then returns the enthusiasm and says, "Karen!!!" They hug each other and feeling very left out at this point and a little confused, I pipe in with "why don't I know you???" Julie then realizes the inequity of the current social interaction and mentions that she used to work with Karen way back 7 years ago when we first moved to our home in Caledonia. We come to find out that Karen's daughter and son-in-law are newly married and are looking for a starter home (like we were at that very same point in our marriage). This is where the real problem begins...
Up until that time I was pretty focused and aware of what needed and didn't need to happen during this first viewing. However, with all of the commotion and reunions going on, I got distracted. Moreover, I began getting too comfortable with all of the chit-chat and warmth that was taking place before our home even got looked at. It was here that the real Jeremy Zilkie began to come out....
Seeing the "coincidences" and obvious peculiarities about the whole viewing appointment I began thinking (very quickly as I often do) and thought I would inject a little humor and light-heartedness into all that was taking place (since I was the one person not presently included in the many varied conversations). Karen happened to say when she looked at a very pregnant Julie and our four children, "boy, you have been busy!" Well this was my opportunity...loving our kids, our family, and thinking that everyone loves some big family humor, I begin articulating the phrase "Be careful, if you buy this place you too could end up with 5 kids in 8 years" However, as I began saying the words some other thoughts crept into my mind...words of sensibility and wisdom...phrases like: What if they don't want a big family? What if they aren't really big on children? What if they can't have children? Is it really worth being witty and a little funny with these people if you possibly offend them and jeopardize their viewing of your home???
Unfortunately this sensibility did not set in until after a couple words did escape from my mouth, the words "Be careful...", and me being me, I didn't exactly whisper them. Well everyone stops and looks at me as I am now silent and realizing what I have just said. Having raised the general curiosity level of everyone present with my provocative statement, one of the members of the buying party says "Be careful about what?" Completely stupefied and without anything to say to try to recover I quickly stammer the words, "never mind..." and leave my "be careful" comment hanging out there all by itself...
Well at this point, to no one's suprise, the conversations have come to an abrupt end and our family began the slooooow march up the street. Yet, my mind continued..."be careful? be careful?" "What did they think I meant? Why would the owner of the home (me) tell them (the prospective buyers) to be careful and then say 'never mind'?" "They must be thinking something is wrong with the house or I am trying to hide something or who knows what?" I begin to feel an ache in my gut as we continue sauntering along the sidewalk. Julie then inquires what I was talking about when I said what I said. Feeling horrible, not wanting to make her anxious and knowing I might as well have left one of Zeke's dirty diapers on the floor of the kitchen during their viewing, I tell her "nothing, don't worry about it", and we continue on. Well I did worry about it for the next 30 minutes, metaphorically kicking myself as we slowly walked around ONE block in our neighborhood as they looked at the house.
Interestingly enough, this whole time Julie is talking about how sure she is they will love the home, how neat it was to see Karen, how she thinks they will make us an offer and they will probably end up buying our home. I on the other hand, though I am smiling and nodding, know in my mind and heart the metaphorical grenade I threw into the evenings festivities. As we walked I just kept thinking to myself what many others have probably thought of me at one point or another, "Jeremy, you Moron! Why couldn't you just keep quiet?"
When we got back to the house they were gone and our evening went on as normal. When we got the call from Eric the next day with an offer, I was TRULY surprised. It had to be a miracle and an act of God for them to overlook my moronic statement and to love our home as they obviously do. So for those of you who saw God in our home selling in 4 days, consider my contributions on that Saturday evening and be even more amazed.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Saying Goodbye
This past weekend our family visited some friends in Detroit that we had not seen in a long time, over a year and a half. It was great to catch up, see our kids playing so well with their kids, sharing some great food, and reflecting on how much life changes with each passing year. It is amazing to see how our shared bond in Jesus Christ sustains and brings continual life to our friendship with them. We had some other friends from years past stop in on Saturday night and once again, enjoyed seeing all that God does and recognizing how quickly that times passes when you are not looking.
Then on Sunday afternoon we were able to get an impromptu family gathering together with my two sisters, my mom and my grandparents which will probably be our final time seeing them before the move. This also was a very enjoyable time. My sister Katie and brother-in-law Kent are expecting their first child this June and it is wonderful to see them awaiting the little arrival. They are going to be great parents as they have proven themselves caring for their "horse of a dog" Neo, these past years. We are going to miss not being as involved in their child/children as they have been involved in our kids lives these past 7 years. They prayed for us and blessed us with their excitement, sadness, and open-handedness for God's leading in our lives.
My other sister Heather and her family also joined us and have been going through some hard times these past several years. Bob has had some unexpected health problems, combined with the downturn in the economy has had a direct impact on their family's financial well being. In the midst of it all however, Heather and Bob have grown close to God and learned to trust in Him all the more. They are still in serious financial difficulty, but Julie and I are both proud of them and admire the way in which they have handled the struggles they have faced.
My grandparents were/are great, praying for each of our family units before the evening ended. Grandpa is so faithful to pray for and with his children and grand-children and great grand-children. Julie and I are always touched by their prayers for and faith in God's best for our lives. We love them dearly and thank God for such a strong spiritual heritage and diligent prayers on our behalf.
Finally my Mom...who will be giving up her son again 16 years after giving me up the first time when I left for the Marines. We are only traveling to St. Louis, but with her health and traveling limitations, it will be a while before she sees us or her grand-children again. It was so sweet and sad to see her tears as I brought little Ezekiel over for a good bye kiss. My mom and I are so different that it is hard for me to know how she thinks and feels about things, though I know she is sad about our leaving further away than we currently are. Yet our kids will call, write, send pictures, be on the blog...utilize all the technology there is today to keep in touch over long distances.
Julie and I have said "good bye" before and we may have to say it again, who knows? What we are so thankful for is the grace of God by which we may have had a positive and encouraging impact on friends and family's lives during our time together. I have had a lot of "good byes" in my life and each time I remind myself that for those who have chosen to follow Jesus as we have, the wonderful time we have shared here on this earth will just be a down payment for what we shall have for all of eternity once this life is over. This is one of the greatest hopes for a follower of Jesus Christ, that the investment into people will never be lost in a recession or economic downturn. But rather it will grow with compound interest as we pray for, encourage, challenge when necessary, and hold onto the hope of the life to come with all the wonderful "image (of God) bearers" (Gen 1:27-30)whom we have had the privilege to journey this path alongside.
To all of you who read this and are part of this blessed community of brothers and sisters...thank you so much for your involvement in our lives. We do look forward to that day when we will celebrate joyously together without the worry of an evening or setting sun bringing our time to an end.
Then on Sunday afternoon we were able to get an impromptu family gathering together with my two sisters, my mom and my grandparents which will probably be our final time seeing them before the move. This also was a very enjoyable time. My sister Katie and brother-in-law Kent are expecting their first child this June and it is wonderful to see them awaiting the little arrival. They are going to be great parents as they have proven themselves caring for their "horse of a dog" Neo, these past years. We are going to miss not being as involved in their child/children as they have been involved in our kids lives these past 7 years. They prayed for us and blessed us with their excitement, sadness, and open-handedness for God's leading in our lives.
My other sister Heather and her family also joined us and have been going through some hard times these past several years. Bob has had some unexpected health problems, combined with the downturn in the economy has had a direct impact on their family's financial well being. In the midst of it all however, Heather and Bob have grown close to God and learned to trust in Him all the more. They are still in serious financial difficulty, but Julie and I are both proud of them and admire the way in which they have handled the struggles they have faced.
My grandparents were/are great, praying for each of our family units before the evening ended. Grandpa is so faithful to pray for and with his children and grand-children and great grand-children. Julie and I are always touched by their prayers for and faith in God's best for our lives. We love them dearly and thank God for such a strong spiritual heritage and diligent prayers on our behalf.
Finally my Mom...who will be giving up her son again 16 years after giving me up the first time when I left for the Marines. We are only traveling to St. Louis, but with her health and traveling limitations, it will be a while before she sees us or her grand-children again. It was so sweet and sad to see her tears as I brought little Ezekiel over for a good bye kiss. My mom and I are so different that it is hard for me to know how she thinks and feels about things, though I know she is sad about our leaving further away than we currently are. Yet our kids will call, write, send pictures, be on the blog...utilize all the technology there is today to keep in touch over long distances.
Julie and I have said "good bye" before and we may have to say it again, who knows? What we are so thankful for is the grace of God by which we may have had a positive and encouraging impact on friends and family's lives during our time together. I have had a lot of "good byes" in my life and each time I remind myself that for those who have chosen to follow Jesus as we have, the wonderful time we have shared here on this earth will just be a down payment for what we shall have for all of eternity once this life is over. This is one of the greatest hopes for a follower of Jesus Christ, that the investment into people will never be lost in a recession or economic downturn. But rather it will grow with compound interest as we pray for, encourage, challenge when necessary, and hold onto the hope of the life to come with all the wonderful "image (of God) bearers" (Gen 1:27-30)whom we have had the privilege to journey this path alongside.
To all of you who read this and are part of this blessed community of brothers and sisters...thank you so much for your involvement in our lives. We do look forward to that day when we will celebrate joyously together without the worry of an evening or setting sun bringing our time to an end.
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