For Sale!

Well, today I posted our house on http://www.forsalebyowner.com/ and http://www.riverhomesusa.com/ ...and I must say it has created a tidal wave of emotion for me. This house is the first home Charles and I purchased and we have been here for 12 out of our 13 years of marriage. This home brings great security to me for so many reasons....not to mention it is just plain gorgeous!

But, this is a very prayerful decision and we are trusting God for the results. If He sends someone, then great. But if He doesn't, that will be okay too. We recognize that He wants the best for us. We have spent much time in prayer and feel this is what God would have us to do. We are simply "preparing the fields for rain."

If we do move to Prattville, it will be nice to save on gas... as of yesterday I noticed it was $3.15/gallon !!! The conveniences of friends, church, Publix, and Wal-Mart will be much appreciated. So will a smaller house to clean and a smaller house payment to pay.

On the flip side, I will miss this beauty that sits just outside my doors so very much and my next door parents so much more. It is so quiet and peaceful here. Sometimes I ask myself if we must be crazy.

So now, we wait and see. I pray that if God does send a buyer, that they will be great people to take great care of our home and be great friends and neighbors to my wonderful parents. I wonder what the future holds.....

Hmmmmm........

Well, here's a little update on life...We had a realtor come out on Saturday. Prior to his arrival, we prayed that God would either throw the doors wide open or place many stumbling blocks and barriers in our way. The realtor's first words to us through the door were that he had some bad news. A house in our neighborhood had just gone into foreclosure five days prior. He seems to think this will affect what we get for our house by close to $100,000! Really??? One of the main reasons for selling would be to get equity out of this house to put a substantial down payment on another thus having a small mortgage and allowing me to work only a few days a month, or not at all! Well, that was blown right out of the water. And, I must say, I was a bit shocked. I felt as if I had prayed and heard clearly from the Lord....He even comforted me with Scripture.

So, we began to research a little ourselves on the internet, and we discovered that one foreclosure in your neighborhood should affect your home by only 1-2% (approx $2500-$5000). Also, that most appraisers try NOT to use the foreclosure but if they have to that that home will not carry much weight. It was also evident that he was not very interested in river property and did not ask the questions we would have expected for this area. So, they questions we have asked ourselves now is...

• We asked God for many stumbling blocks...is this just one and we should try a different route or is this one so big we should just take it as a Ray Charles sign?


• Should we try ourselves as for sale by owner and just see what God does and how things turn out?


• Should we just hang tight and wait a little while, keep praying (which we will do regardless), and wait to see what happens "on its own"? {we did have neighbors once who did NOT have their house for sale and someone approached them and wanted to buy it anyway}

My coming home is only one of the reasons to move. We long for greater convenience to town (grocery store, etc)...not to mention gas is not getting any cheaper. Also, Charles has a bad back and with the house being so high off the ground and the challenges this large house brings, we would like a home on the ground that offers easier maintenance. Another reason is to be closer to our church home and friends and able to participate more in ministry. We would like to be involved in the Life Groups our church has started. Not to mention, the girls never have little friends come over to play unless it happens to be a birthday party or some other well-planned event.

Admittedly, there are a couple of down sides to moving....the biggest is my parents. We live next door to my parents and they are such a blessing to us. My step-dad watches my girls when I work and both girls just love MawMaw and Papa. I grew up next to my grandparents and it was great! I do have to wonder if Charles and I have not accomplished what it is that God has for us here. We could reach out better where we are and start a "Life Group" that is not affiliated with our church but it an outreach to our neighborhood.

I am reminded that "A man's heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps" Proverbs 16:9. My quiet time this morning was on looking to God alone for direction. I KNOW that I have been seeking Him with all my heart and asking for direction. I also know Ephesians 3:20 says that God is able to do far abundantly above all that we ask or think or imagine.

My prayer is that beyond even knowing God's will for our family, that we will know God....His patience, His provision, His loving-kindness, His peace, His protection, His majesty....that we experience His character and WHO HE IS more than anything else. I pray this time of wondering what to do pushes us to the very heart of God and that we develop a closeness with Him that we couldn't otherwise know. I am currently doing a Bible study by Priscilla Shirer called Discerning the Voice of God. It is so appropriate right now. And one of the things she touches on is how that if we seek Him first and just long for Him, we don't have to worry about being in His will.

Thank you to those of you who are praying for us and the direction we should take.

We love you!