OCCUPANCY

That's right...OCCUPANCY!


More pictures and details soon...but you can read more about the past week on the other page of this blog entitled "DOING - Our Work"

PROVISION

My mind has been more keenly aware recently of God's PROVISION. Many times as I bow my head to pray, my heart is filled with gratitude for his PROVISION. He provides all I need in so many ways. He is teaching me to simply say "thank you" and receive things from his hands; my food, finances, material things, safety, friendships...everything.

The journey with the house renovation has also put me in a place where I must look for His PROVISION every day. The project has been much larger than we ever expected and I want to go on record saying that He has provided all our needs along the way. In this final week before we hope to live in the house, there are so very many details that have to be coordinated. It is actually quite overwhelming when we make daily task lists and when we walk throughout the house assessing jobs that still need to be completed.

Today, I was reminded of Moses and the people of Israel as they were standing between the threat of Pharaoh's army and the Great Sea. They were caught...wrestling with thoughts of why they ever left the comforts of Egypt in the first place, fighting fears of being killed by the enemy or drowned in the sea. They were powerless. But the Lord spoke..."Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today...The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still." (Exodus 14:13-14)

An email from a friend brought similar encouragement this morning... "Relax and let me lead you through this day. I have everything under control; My control. You tend to peer anxiously into the day that is before you, trying to figure out what to do and when. Meanwhile, the phone or the doorbell rings, and you have to reshuffle your plans. All the planning ties you up in knots and distracts you from Me. Attentiveness to Me is not only for your quiet time, but for all your time. As you look to Me, I show you what to do now and next. Vast qualities of time and energy  are wasted in obsessive planning. When you let Me direct your steps, you are set free to enjoy Me and to find what I have prepared for you this day."

We are trusting God to provide for us as we face the unknown...we need to move out of our current house by noon on Friday. An inspector has to give us a "certificate of occupancy" before we can move into the newly renovated house in Lancaster. To date, our general contractor feels encouraged and hopeful that work on the house is progressing in such a way that we will be able to move into the house this weekend. 

I am thankful for God's PROVISION of grace today; grace to face whatever situation comes my way. God is faithful. He will make PROVISION. I need only to stand firm and still because He will fight for me.

Here's a peek at where things are in the renovations...

Electricians installing lights

Plumbing fixtures are appearing

Bathrooms are taking shape

Trim is being put around windows and flooring

Appliances installed

the master bath has a tub....

...and a shower

Powder room!

radiators are cleaned and painted awaiting installation

WALKING

It has been entirely too long since I've written. I'm so glad for a few minutes this morning to share a few thoughts that have been processing in my mind...and I'm excited to show you more pictures of how renovations are progressing at the house. 

I was really looking forward to taking our morning walk the other day. Several things had interrupted this routine in the past days and I realized that it is during our morning walk that Keith and I can talk, pray and connect - I was missing that. WALKING matters to me.

Work at the house in the past couple weeks has been focused on flooring. The phrase that has been going through my mind is, "It matters what you WALK on." Maybe it's not very profound, but it is true. So we have been focusing on floors that are level, floors that are smooth, floors that are clean and floors that will look beautiful. I have discovered that when the floor of a room is lovely, clean and level, the rest of the room looks and functions a whole lot better.

uncovering the simple beauty of wood floors

Many hours were spent with loud vibrating floor sanders. The diningroom floor was very challenging!

The look and feel of this bedroom changed the minute the wood floors were sanded and exposed.

This little space at the top of the stairs has been transformed at the hands of a friend who installed a beautiful hardwood floor.

...and the livingroom floor's inlay design has been gloriously restored.

So the Lord has been asking me some new questions... 

Who am I WALKING with? 

What am I WALKING on? 

Are my paths level? 

Is my WALK with Him beautiful? 

I have been challenged again to focus on more time spent in His Word so that my feet are firmly planted on Truth. This month has been filled with opportunities to trust Him more and He has been good and faithful.

Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, who WALK in the light of your presence, O Lord.

Psalm 89:15

HEART

We've enjoyed having friends and family stop by every now and then to see what we've been doing at the house. I like to welcome them and give tours. It's fun to talk about what the finished product will be like, and I invite advice and opinions on the details. Recently, a friend made a comment to me as we stood watching the kitchen cabinets being installed. He said, "I find it interesting that the kitchen is the first room being completed." Truly, like the old saying goes, the kitchen is the heart of the home.

The first cabinets going up.

We'll be able to pull up some stools at the island.

A big island will be a great place for serving buffet style meals.

A pantry has always been on my wish list. The desk area will serve as a work station, the heart of scheduling, bill paying and record keeping.

I pondered this concept and thought more about HEART. What do I want for this kitchen? How might God want to use this space?  

There are many definitions for this word HEART. It is also the part of our physical body that gives us life. And we all know how much everyone seems to gravitate to the kitchen when visiting. We share joys and sorrows over coffee, snacks and meals. Whether we know it or not, food can affect our emotions. I have lots of good memories of preparing meals and eating together. I also have memories of late night talks while eating a snack when my kids were teenagers. It has been a wonderful place to train our young children to listen and share in conversation and to serve others. As our children grew, we spent many mealtimes laughing together and encouraging each other. 

I look forward to the days ahead. I pray that God will use this space to communicate his heart and to give life.

How might God be asking you to use your home? Your kitchen? How might you create an atmosphere that invites conversation and promotes life?

FOLLOW

Over the last couple months, as this house project continues and more friends and acquaintances hear about what we are doing, there is one question that is often asked..."Why are you moving into the city?" I too have asked myself this question. Many times. Fifteen years ago while living in the city, we had a desire to move to the suburbs. Things change. But the only answer I have to this question is, "We FOLLOW."

We have made many moves in our lifetime. In the first thirteen years of our marriage, we moved six times for various reasons. God directed and provided with each change of location. And now, with this move approaching, there really seems to be no other reason than the fact that we FOLLOW.

We are beginning to collect boxes and pack our things once again. Things that have been tucked in their places for over fourteen years are being disturbed. But it's time to prepare to move again.

Our hearts are filled with vision and ideas for new things, even though we can't define exactly what it is. We are learning to trust and FOLLOW because God's timing and plans are always right.

Many years ago, someone prayed over me, "Take another look at the desires of your heart because they are of the Lord. Ponder them. Build your vision on former desires. They are of the Lord." I haven't forgotten these words.

So we continue to follow the Master into the city of Lancaster. We don't have everything figured out; we don't even know the exact date we will be able to move into the house. But we continue to FOLLOW each day as He instructs; as He guides; as He plants things in our hearts.

What is in your heart to do? With your heart turned towards God, trust that He is putting those desires there. FOLLOW His promptings. Take the risk. The journey promises to be filled with excitement...and you just might find yourself doing things you never imagined!

"If any of you wants to serve me, then follow me. Then you will be where I am, ready to serve at a moments notice. The Father will honor and reward anyone who serves me."                                               John 12:26

Here's a peek at the recent work going on at the house...

Joel did an amazing job custom fitting the wardrobes with shelves and rods for hanging clothing.

My mother spent some hours cleaning...and there's plenty more of that to do! But look how nice the drywall is. I can't wait to put some color on those walls.

With Matt as our tile cutter, we finally finished tiling the kitchen floor!

HUPOMONE

Have you ever heard that word before? Keith and I have been saying it a lot to each other in the last couple weeks as we talk about this renovation project. It is a Greek word that means..

"steadfastness, constancy, endurance; a patient enduring, sustaining, perseverance"

The work on this big house can seem endless. Each day we arrive to work there we see more that needs to be done even though we have a wonderful sense of accomplishment afterward. On the drive there we usually share with each other what our goals are for the day. We laugh and encourage each other as we consider the scope of things. We rejoice together about how much we are thankful for friends who are contributing their skills to the project. And there are times that we challenge each other to faith in God that he will continue to provide the strength, finances and guidance we need at every phase.

Currently our kitchen cabinets are stacked in the dining-room. They were delivered much earlier than expected so the kitchen is the room that is first on the list of priorities.

 In order to install the kitchen cabinets, the floor must be prepared. We chose to put in a tile floor. This is not a one day process. My knees got a good workout after only a few hours of work, even though I was wearing knee pads. And a blister on my hand after only an hour caused me to put on the work gloves.

The kitchen floor (and mudroom) are ready for tile! Things are feeling much cleaner and it really is beginning to look great. I even marked the walls for where the cabinets will be placed. I'm really getting anxious to have a new kitchen.

So while we can see progress, this is only one room out of ten (not counting the 3rd floor). So what do I focus on?!

HUPOMONE! "Persevere, Brenda. Be patient. Stay steady." 

We ask the Lord for hupomone...not only in this renovation project, but also in life. It is so easy to become discouraged when we see so many things demanding our attention; so many needs; so much confusion and frustration. Life is a big overwhelming project at times. Trust God with me. He is BIG enough and GOOD enough for everything before us.

"...you, O God are strong, and you, O Lord, are loving..."                              Psalm 62:11-12

 

BEAUTY

Our family vacation was wonderful...and now it is time to re-engage with caring for the house. The timing was good. While we were gone, the drywallers took over the place and now we actually have rooms!

the kitchen...looking towards the mudroom, laundry and back entrance.

the back entrance...laundry room, closet and powder room

at the top of the steps looking down the second floor hallway

the master bath...will have a tiled shower

a study/reading nook on the landing at the top of the stairway

Everything was coated with white chalky dust from drywall sanding and sawdust from enlarging the large built in wardrobes. Before we can begin flooring, I knew we needed a big day of cleaning and organizing. This house needs to be cared for...and I was gone for 2 weeks.

Keith and I started in the livingroom. It has a lovely hardwood floor with inlays around the perimeter. In order to save it, we need to clean it and cover it so the workers don't damage it. Just a touch of water brought out the beauty.

We worked on our knees for quite awhile. Drops of drywall mud and adhesive needed to be scratched off. Sanding and varnish will come later, but right now we needed to protect it so that its true beauty will shine someday.

 We continued cleaning and organizing. We wandered outside to tidy up as well. With all the rain and warm weather, the grass had grown over a foot tall and bushes and flowers were growing wild and out of control. In the midst of all the hot and heavy work, I couldn't help but take some time for some more beauty...

 I created a little place to sit at our back porch entrance. Some old plastic lawn chairs and a cast off table I found in the basement made a perfect spot for a bouquet of roses in an old milk bottle. We would have our lunch there.

I pondered this need for beauty in my life. I think it is a reflection of God's character. He loves beauty too. During our vacation in Europe, I especially loved hiking in the Swiss Alps. Nothing compares to the beauty of those majestic mountains. It is there that I feel close to Him. 

So I press on with making this big old house beautiful. There are many tasks to do yet before its true beauty shows. I trust that God will guide my creativity and strengthen my hands for the work that is still ahead. Somehow I want the beauty of this house to reflect him...so that when family and friends fill the rooms, we all will sense his love and care through the protection and provision that this house brings.

He crowns us with beauty instead of ashes, gives us the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. We will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord for the display of His splendor! 

Isaiah 61:3

Look for beauty today!