Bless Home




	WRITE 2 THE HEART Stories that are aimed "Write 2 the Heart" November 18, 2003 Cheryl Speir, Editor, moderator@write2theheart.com ----------------------------------------------------------- Welcome to your latest issue of "Write 2 the Heart" You are receiving this newsletter because you requested a subscription or a friend generously forwarded their copy to you. To subscribe send a blank e-mail to subscribe@write2theheart.com. ------------------------------------------------------------ There are times we can only stand in awe at the workings of God. The impossible became possible for Mary Ellen and her family as a series of blessings allowed them to buy and move into the home of their dreams. ------------------------------------------------------------ Bless This Home By Mary-Ellen Grisham ------------------------------------------------------------ The house that holds my home is in the original section of our subdivision, closest to the woods. It is a beautiful place with large trees, bushes, flowers, lovely landscaping. It is also a good place, with residents who care for their homes, love their families, and express good will for their neighbors. I give thanks every day for my home and feel endless gratitude for all the beauty that surrounds me. However, we might not have had this home. It was only by chance that we discovered it. My husband had seen an ad for a house up the street and around the corner. While he did not want to buy it, he continued around the corner and down the next street. Then he saw our present home. From that moment on, one fortunate occurrence, one blessing after another occurred. We were living in an old country subdivision that had been built on a drained lake. Besides being thirty years old, the houses had various problems. When Lowell took me to see the house he wanted to buy, we were astounded to learn that the house was being sold by an elderly couple at our own church. We got a warm, friendly house tour. Afterwards we sat out in our car parked in front of the old coach light and lush shrubbery. Tears ran down my face as I looked at the old-fashioned light and the country-style porch. I just knew we would never be able to buy the house because we were just never going to be able to sell the home we owned then. Then the enabling blessings began. A couple who lived across the street from us at our old home had a sister who was tired of apartment dwelling. She saw our unwanted house as a haven for new independence and freedom. Better still, she truly wanted the house across from her sister. Best of all, her father was one of the original contractors who had built the old subdivision, and he was willing to renovate the house for her. All of our improvements could never have competed with his professional skills. We had agreed to sell our "un-sell-able" house within three days of putting it on the market! The owners of the house we wanted to buy, being church friends, worked with us every step of the way, even lowering the house to a price that would meet both their needs and ours. They waited for the young woman who wanted to buy our other house to get her loan, a real feat for her because it was her first adventure with credit. When the time came to move, I had recently been promoted to eight-hour days at my job, and I could only work on packing and moving in the evenings. Church friends made the difference. They came to help us pack and load, and my husband's boss let him have several days off work. An elder, a deacon, my husband, and I moved everything in to our precious home from a regular "you-haul-it" conveyance. The move was so smooth and quick that it seemed unbelievable! The first year we lived in the house I just knew that since the foundations of the earth this house had been prepared for me. The sheer poetry of the house was enormous! As I sat listening to the branches of bushes tap the double dining room windows in fall, I thought of Zhivago, the boy staying with his cousin's family. As I wrote Christmas cards, I happened to look up at the home stitched sampler of the Wise Men, and the light of that glorious star seemed to be shining on us all. As family and friends visited, the house was filled with warmth and love. Then as the gardens bloomed, flowering surprises slowly appeared all around the yards. I was overwhelmed with blessing! With a heart overflowing with gratitude, I realize that this earthly home of mine that I so love is only a faint foreshadowing of the "place" that the Lord has prepared for each of us in His Kingdom. In John 14, Jesus promises us that He "goes to prepare a place" for each of us who believe in Him. While our present stewardship of home, family, neighborhood, country, and world guides us on our way, we can only guess at the great glories God has in store for us at Home with Him. ©2003 Mary-Ellen Grisham meginrose @ empowering.com You are encouraged to write to the authors to let them know what you think of their story, just remember to remove the space before and after the @ symbol. The space is placed in the address to protect our writers from viruses and email harvesting programs. Have a comment on today's story? Send it to: moderator@write2theheart.com ---------------------------------------------------------------- Mary-Ellen is a Christian writer living with her husband and son in Godfrey, Illinois. Widely published on the Internet, she is the current Editor of Eternal Ink, a twice-monthly Christian ezine- newsletter. You can visit the site at www.eternal-ink.com. -------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------- Letters From Our Readers -------------------------------------------------------------- I never understand people who complain about the time they have to spend with children. You are only going to get out of it what you put into it. If you treat the time as a burden, it will be. If you treat it as an adventure, it will be. Kim It looks like Melva has a great relationship with her granddaughter. Stories like that make me look forward to being a grandparent. Right now I can relate to Ginger. The arguing and fighting are part of my days. Then they snuggle up to me and tell me they love me this much, and I know it’s worth it. Carol --------------------------------------------------------------- Military Prayer Reminder --------------------------------------------------------------- As you read over this list of names, please take that moment to pray for these young people and their families: Chris Speir Tim Speir Alan Thaddeaus Howard Todd Holland Graham William Julie Sagel Jessie Marshal Thompson Jason Eric Hernandez Kristin Danielson Ken Prieur Ryan Please continue to pray for our country, our leaders, and our troops at this time. If you have loved ones in the military, or who are being called to go overseas, send their names (first and last or first only) to be included in our prayer reminder. --------------------------------------------------------------- Cheryl's Corner Recently, my oldest grandson, Logan, came running in the front door. He wrapped his arms around my waist, leaned back his head to look into my eyes, and said, “Guess who I am!” I made several guesses and I was answered with, “that too” and “nope.” Finally, I had to give up “I’m your bargain grandson!” I knew exactly what he was talking about. He loves to go with me to garage sales. But, he’s a bargain in more ways than that. He joined our family when my oldest son, Chris, married his mother, Nicole. Two for one, that has been a blessing of a bargain for me! I can’t imagine life without either one of them. God Bless, Cheryl ----------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------- © 2003 Write 2 the Heart Nothing may be reproduced or published without the written permission of the individual author or copyright owner. All rights belong to the authors.