Thankful...

As we wrapped our head around the journey of moving, there were several tasks that needed to be completed.  One was getting our New York home ready for sale.  We needed to complete several ‘fixes’ on our home.  Some of the tasks have been in queue for several years as we placed them on the ‘back burner’ while we ran the business.  The queue was no longer an option, so I created a whiteboard that sat in the living room.  The whiteboard would mock us as I crossed an item off and then I would add two more to the end.  The list seemed to grow as the days left to fix everything shrunk.  It didn’t take long to become overwhelmed by the massive set of tasks.

Then it happened…

Help started coming from all corners of our church…

First, one woman came and sat with me as I started the packing/painting process.  She picked up a brush and stood by me and painted walls and packed boxes.  She stayed with me holding my ladder as I climbed to the top and reached the hard spots outside.  She came back every day with a smile and encouragement as we packed room by room until almost all rooms were done!  She never gave up on me or my overwhelming tasks.

Another woman stayed on the phone with me as I painted the trim of a room alone.  She kept me company and talked with me for TWO HOURS as I painted with the smallest brush avoiding the wall and only catching the molding.  We talked about EVERYTHING!  It was hilarious and uplifting all at the same time.  The Next thing I knew, I was done and I had beautiful memories of our conversation…

What a blessing!

Another couple came over and helped us trim ALL the bushes and trees!

Another couple came over and helped us stain our deck!

AND they volunteered to take one of our vehicles to Florida to save us from driving two down or paying a large sum of money to a company to transport it.  I have another story about THAT I will share later!

Another couple brought us soup…

Two men from the men’s group came and helped my husband paint!

Then there was someone special I have to mention who didn’t go to our church.  He worked with us and when we turned the key on the business, refused to go home.  This man stayed by Carl’s side from that day until the day we pulled away from our home in NY.  He helped with all the fixes, helped clean out the barn, mowed the ten acres of lawn, and never stopped until everything was done.  He refused to take any money or a paycheck from the day we turned the key on the business.  He did it without any fanfare or any expectation.  We will always be grateful for him and pray for him everyday. 

There were so many people…

There were so many helpers…

I can’t leave out the MANY, MANY prayers we were covered in during this time as well…  So many people from our church prayed with us and over us those seven weeks while we did the fixes/packing.  We couldn’t have done it without the covering of prayer…

Thank you seemed so hollow compared to what was given…

We are so humbled by everything.

We are so grateful…

I wanted to share this and thought it was the perfect time to do so today…

I am thankful for so much.  The above is just a small example of God’s Glory…

Thank you Lord!

Love you guys!

I thank my God every time I remember you. 

Philippians 1:3

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Quarters in the couch

Hey!  I missed you guys!  It has been a hot minute since we talked…

So much has changed.  I have been a tad busy. I haven’t had time to write or share here… but I am finally back. 😊 

Can we back up a bit here and catch up?

God called us to move, to Florida this year.  Yes, I said that correctly.  These next few weeks I will get deeper into our story, but for now I want to share a small God-reminder that has been with us during and throughout this journey that I quaintly call quarters in the couch.

You remember when you were little and were excited to find coins in the couch from your parents pockets and could get something at the local store?  (Yes I am dating myself, I know lol) It was like a piggy bank of joy each time you reached down into the couch or between the cushions in the car.  Now I know a quarter doesn’t buy a lot today, but each one adds up when you save them.  As a kid these quarters were like dollars to us back in the day!

When we finally understood where God was taking Carl and myself on this new journey in the spring, the financial implications were massive.  We were about to shut a 39-year-old business down, sell everything, and have no income coming in to pay the bills.  This was going to be one major leap of faith for both of us.  So much so - that I spent two days number crunching to see how we were going to survive on no income for five months till the end of the year.  God told me we would make it, but I wanted to see it on paper. 
I still remember looking over that spreadsheet wondering how this was going to happen.  It didn’t make sense, but I knew HE was going to do it. 

So, we stepped out in faith.

We went to our last K-Love Fan Awards event in May.  I asked God for a word.  He gave us the word, Surrender ALL.  Carl and I wept and walked away from the event in agreement.  We would not be Jonah.  We would obey.  No matter how painful. 

We shut the business down.  We sold everything.  What we didn’t sell, we gave away.  We were going to downsize massively.  There was no other way.  Then the rubber hit the road.  How would we pay for everything? 

God knew. 

The first one came out of the blue.  I was working with vendors as we shut the business down.  We needed to pay off our debts.  We had a zoom meeting with one vendor as we closed our account to review everything and receive our final bill.  When the call was wrapping up they announced to me that they were wiping away our final bill to help us out since they knew we were just closing the doors to our business and not selling.  Just because.  Thousands…  Their comment to me at our last meeting was, “This should help you as you end your business.”  They were trying to help.  They didn’t know us personally, but wanted to help.  All I could do was weep on the call.

Quarters in the couch.

Another week went by and another vendor did the same thing.  This one was much bigger.  The debt was much larger and the vendor is a billion dollar company.  We were a small company compared to the others they worked with on a daily basis.   They had no reason to give us the grace they did, but God.  The debt they erased took my breath away…  Again, all I could do was cry.

Quarters in the couch.

Each week something would happen just like these stories above.  I would shout from my office to Carl, QUARTERS IN THE COUCH!

I shared the stories with everyone that would listen to me!

We had an estate/business sale.   It helped us keep afloat for a little longer.  Each sale, each bonus, each gift…  quarters in the couch.

 I sold a bunch of items at the estate sale and shared the story with a couple.  They came back to me later that day and handed me a handful of change they found in a purse I sold them.  She called it my quarters in the couch moment…  I told her to keep the change, remember me and my story, and share it with others. 😊

God instances are everywhere in our daily lives, even in quarters in the couch.

I am still receiving quarters in the couch sitting here in our new home in Florida.  The dust hasn’t quite settled here, and we have more to do before we are ready for HIS next steps.  Maybe that is why the quarters are still coming? 

Or, just maybe, He wants to use the quarters as a quiet reminder that HE is still our provider every day.

Either way, I will never look at quarters in the couch the same way again…

I hope this story helps you to look at it differently too 😊

Love you!

Philippians 4:19

And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.

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Get into the boat...

 

 

It has been a bit busy here in the Priest home…

Grab a cup of coffee or your favorite beverage and sit down and join me for a moment while I share about boats…  yes boats.

“Get into the boat and I will meet you on the other side.”  Remember that scripture?  Matthew 14 shares the story of Jesus walking on the water with Peter stepping out in faith.  I want to talk about the first part of this story.  This is where my story begins.

God told us to get into the boat.

He said we would get to the other side.

Just like the disciples. 

He told them to get into that boat.  In fact, the scripture says, “Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd.”

He had something to finish first, and then he would meet the disciples on the other side.  They were instructed to get into the boat and go ahead of Him.

When God gives a specific direction like the one above, two things are certain.

One, you are going to get to the other side.

Two, you are not going to be alone.

My husband and I just made a huge leap of faith this week.  After several years of prayer and godly counsel, we shut down our business of 39 years.  We knew God led us to that decision.  Was it an easy one? Absolutely not.   There were so many nights crying out to God with tears asking for His direction.  Many sleepless nights and tear-stained pillows as we pushed forward and then finally gave into what we knew was His answer.

We left the shore and got into the boat.

We are now heading into new territory where God has called us to go.  We untied the boat, and it is just drifting from the dock as we speak.  We can see the dock from the boat.  There is more to do before we get to the other side.   

There are storms already.  There is fear already. 

Fear of the unknown.  We know the dock.  It was secure under our feet.  Stepping onto the boat was a bit unnerving because it moved under our feet at first.  Then we had to get our sea legs for a second.

Stepping out in faith…

He told us we would get to the other side.  Just like He told the disciples in Matthew 14.  Will it be an easy trip?  He didn’t promise us that.  Look what happened to the other guys in the boat.  They had a storm.  And that is an understatement…

We are seeing a few storms on the horizon.  But you know what?  Remember the second certain thing I mentioned above? 

We are Not Alone.

When the disciples were far away from the land and the storm hit and fear gripped them, Jesus was right there.  He knew.  And he was right there to help and teach a lesson all at the same time.  In the middle of the night.

So, we are in the boat.  We are heading to the other side.

When will we get there?  Only God knows.

What will we be doing?  Only God knows. 

And that is okay because He is in control, and I honestly don’t want to trust my future with anyone else than my God. 

I will keep blogging as we move forward with this new journey with the Lord.

Thank you for your prayers.

Holding on to my oars…

Love you guys!

'Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. '

Matthew 14:22

'Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” '

Hebrews 13:5

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SURRENDER

 

My husband and I were blessed to spend a few days away from our business last month.  While away I take this opportunity to sit at the feet of the Lord and ask for a word.  We tell everyone we are going away and spend time worshiping with thousands of our ‘best friends’.  We share testimonies, we worship, we cry, and we pray together.

It is an intimate time fellowship for everyone that takes the step of faith into the inner sanctum of HIS presence.  We all need to take time to get away from the grind of the world and sit at the feet of Jesus.  It puts everything back in perspective.  It also helps us to hear HIS voice above the world’s noise.  We often do battle during these times as well.

Worship is one of the best ways to battle the enemy.  I prepare my heart for worship during my time away.  I hold nothing back.  I know our time is precious and we need this time to refill our cups and wait on the Lord.  I show up each year with no other expectations, only fellowship and intimacy. When I come in the posture of worship, God always shows up. He never disappoints me.  Our cups are ALWAYS filled.  Not the same way each year, but they are always filled. 

Each year we go away, I return with a word from my heavenly Father.  The first year was a surprise but a blessing.  The second year I saw the pattern.  The third year I was ready.  So, each year afterwards, I would pray before and ask for a word before we left.  I would spend the weekend in worship and prayer and walk away with a new word or phrase to hold on to for the year. 

Ask, seek… 

This year I asked God for something different.  I asked God to give both Carl and me a word together.  We needed clarity over something in our lives.  We needed a clear path confirming what He was calling us to do.  I don’t know why I was so surprised when we sat down in the large room filled with thousands of people that first night of worship. 

Surrender. 

That was our word.  It was given the first night we started the event.  And then it continued throughout the weekend.  We were so blessed to hear from the Lord, not just once, but throughout the entire weekend we were there.  He showed up. 

Surrender. Everything.

Okay, Lord. I hear you.  We are scared, but we hear you.  Both of us heard it loud and clear.  Over and over all weekend.  We cried, we laughed, and we knew it was from HIM.  When God gives a confirmation you requested, He does not hold back.  He always shows up.  We just need to push everything aside and listen. 

We listened that weekend.  We walked away from the weekend with more clarity.  Are we scared? Yes. But we have peace knowing HE is in CONTROL.  God is the best chess player knowing the beginning from the end in all our lives.  He knows what is best for us.  He knows that even though we are scared, we are going to be okay with HIM on our side.

Surrender. 

He’s got this.

Things are going to change for us.  It is not going to look the same when it is over.  But we TRUST our GOD and we TRUST the process.

He’s got us.

He’s got you.

What is your word for the year?

Trust HIM.

LOVE YOU GUYS!

Proverbs 3:5 (NIV)

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;

Philippians 4:6 (NIV)

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

Romans 8:28 (NIV)

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

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Derailed...

 

I was derailed.  Can you relate?  I was going about my week.  I had so many plans.  I had a LOT to do.  Everything was in its place.  Everything was planned out with precision and then next thing I knew, my train went off the rails. 

Was it the enemy?  Was it my undoing?  Meh, who knows.  We live in a fallen world and things happen.  Just read your Bible and see how many Saints were derailed over the centuries by things that happened to them. This is a short story of how my husband, and I handled our derailment…

One of the puppies woke up with stomach issues.  That would be the beginning of our trial.  We discovered his stomach issues all over our bedroom rug. 

So, rule number one when dealing with intestinal distress is to change up the puppy’s diet to chicken and rice.  Since we have three dogs, everyone gets the fancy diet.  We call our dogs “the littles” because they are all small dogs.  The littles normally love the ‘new diet’ because it is people food and they feel special!  Everyone was excited about their new dinner except the puppy because he wasn’t feeling very well, so we had to coax him a bit with some chicken broth. That worked.

By the morning of day 4 Gabriel, the puppy, wasn’t getting any better and neither was our rug.  So, we headed to the emergency vet to find out what we could do.  Four hours later and a bill that will take a bit to pay back, we came home with meds and a new game plan.

Next thing we knew, Benny our second dog was not looking too good.  He gave us the signal… 

So, we added him to the medication treatment.

Gabriel was feeling better with the meds and happy to play with a new toy.  Benny was now picking up where Gabriel left off… on the carpets.

Day 6  Our third dog, Rocco woke us up puking all over.  Benny was still sharing his distress everywhere.  

However, Gabriel was very happy to share he was feeling better!

Day 10. We finally saw the light at the end of the tunnel.  Yes, it took 10 days for everyone to finally start eating and stop leaving us gifts every morning in the house.

What did Carl and I do during this test?  With the lack of sleep and chaos around us, we could have turned on each other.  We could have also buckled down and hid.  Honestly, I really wanted to do that option.

Instead, we called in the troops.  We called our Prayer Warriors.  

Please pray for our strength and perseverance.  Please pray for our ability to get through this.  We anointed the house, just in case.  We prayed over the dogs.  We anointed the dogs. Carl and I took turns cleaning up the mess and giving each other grace as sleep was not an option.  We thanked GOD for owning an industrial carpet cleaner!  It's the little things!

We could have gone at each other.   Back in the day, we might have.  By the grace and mercy of God, we didn’t.  Carl was there for me.  I was there for him.

We made it through the 10 days.  Covered in prayer.

We passed this trial.

Not every day is a trial.  There are SO MANY GOOD DAYS in our lives!  But there are days like these past 10 for us.

Know trials will come my friend.  Just be ready when they do.  Have a support system who will stand in prayer with you.  Build your strength by reading your bible and getting close to your Father now so you will be ready when the trail comes.  Also, let me know how I can pray for you. 

We are here for each other.

Love you guys!

 

'Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. '

James 1:2-3

' “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”'

John 16:33

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Faith over fear in change...

 

Eight years ago, today.  We put all our eggs into one basket.  Yes, it occurred on April 1^st, but it wasn’t an April Fool’s joke though there were those who believed it was.  We were told by family members that we were making a bad financial decision.  However, we had prayed and knew God called us to make this change.  In the end, God wins.  I am glad He did.

To be honest, everything on the outside eight years ago looked like a dumpster fire.  

I took a huge pay cut and left the corporate world to help my husband in his HVAC business.  We were giving up my health insurance and steady income that helped pay all our expenses.  Who does that?

When my husband and I prayed over this decision, we weren’t sure where God was leading us or the business.  Eight years later, we have experienced the highs and lows of working together and running the company.  We started out of the gate growing and changing processed like crazy.  God blessed our decision.  We started to see why God moved me into the business.  I had financial and project management skills while Carl had 30 plus years’ experience in HVAC.  He could fix anything, and I could organize it.  The business thrived. 

The first year or so was the hardest because Carl was used to running HIS business.  He wasn’t used to relinquishing control of the daily activities.  I was used to coming in and just doing my job.  I didn’t expect a push-back.  We are both Type-A personalities so… there was a bit of a struggle when we went paperless with the new software.  The changes we implemented were positive, but change is hard, for everyone.

We thought we knew where God was leading us, then things would change.  We had everything in order, and things would change.  We hired extra help to ramp up the business when it grew, and then things would change.   Covid hit, and things would change.

Do you see a pattern here? 

Change.

No matter what we did, God allowed the changes to build us and lead us to where we are today.  We are stronger together as a couple.  We are stronger in the Lord.  All due to the changes He allowed.

We just had to take that ‘leap of faith’. 

What does the future hold for my husband and myself?  Only God knows.  He has our business and future in HIS capable hands, and we trust him.  The only constant we can count on is… 

Change.

So, we trust HIM and pray as we move forward each day.

Here is to 8 more years of change, or whatever NEW adventures God has for us!

Love you guys!

'Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. '

Proverbs 3:5-6

https://www.bible.com/bible/111/PRO.3.5-6

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wrongly accused...?

 

I was listening to Klove radio on the way home from an appointment and heard something that caught my attention.  One of the DJs mentioned she was wrongly accused of something, and it was a thorn in her side for many years.  However, God allowed her to experience redemption when the accused came to her years later and shared how they found out that she was wrongfully accused and apologized for their actions.

She shared how it was healing but how God had worked it out in her heart over the years without the reconciliation.

I thought about that for a while.

I had a similar experience years ago.

Honestly, I have had this experience many times over the years. But let me share just one of them.

When I was in grade school I received a REALLY COOL stamp.  It was a teddy bear stamp.  I was SO excited!  It was a self-inking stamp!  I could just place it in on a piece of paper and a teddy bear would appear!  I LOVED that stamp!  I felt so special with my fancy stamp.

Then one day someone stole my stamp.

And if that wasn’t bad enough, they took that stamp and proceeded to stamp it across the chalk board and all over my grade school classroom.

You can imagine what happened next.

I was in the principal’s office with my teacher and my parents.

I was confused.

My parents were upset.

The principal was angry.

Everyone wondered why I did this act.  I tried to explain it wasn’t me.  I mean, WHY would I want to do this…?

It didn’t matter.  It was my stamp.  Everyone knew that.  So, I was punished.   It was a hard lesson to learn in grade school.  But it happens.

Why did I share that story?  Because often we experience situations like the one above and carry the burden in our heart for days, months, and sometimes years with no resolution.  Is it always fair?  No, sometimes it is not, and we don’t receive vindication like that DJ shared on KLove radio.  The hardest part is to let it go and trust God will vindicate us in the end. 

God does not have to explain why He allowed something to happen in my life.

He doesn’t have to explain why it didn’t get resolved and I was unfairly accused.

Remember Job?

He was unfairly accused.

And then what?

There was a lesson Job needed to learn.

Sometimes we get the answer.

Sometimes we receive redemption.

Sometimes… we don’t.

We still need to trust God.  We still need to trust He has a plan and knows what is best for us.

And - if we don’t think He understands how we feel…

Read Isaiah 53 and John 19.  He understands.  He experienced it firsthand.

So, we can come to the Throne of God knowing full well HE GETS US.

In the meantime, we need to pray and keep our eyes focused on HIM, not the situation, not the accusation.

He’s got us, no matter what. 

Remember so much is going on behind the curtain we can’t see.

HE CAN.

TRUST THE PROCESS.

Love you guys!

'and said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.” '

Job 1:21

'He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem. '

 Isaiah 53:3

'Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head. They clothed him in a purple robe and went up to him again and again, saying, “Hail, king of the Jews!” And they slapped him in the face. '

John 19:1-3

'For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.'

Romans 8:38-39

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God Blessings...

 

Each time God does something in my life I am blessed, and surprised.

I don’t know why I am always surprised, but I am.

Let me share a quick blessing with you!

Last month was a crazy month of busyness at work.  There was a lot going on getting everything completed for year end.  Completing tasks for 2024.  Making new tasks for 2025. And in the meantime, keeping our customer base happy as the weather took a turn for the worse.  A typical January. 

Normally it would be okay, but I had a few extra balls in the air.  I had one particular, let’s call it a situation we have no control over, that had taken a life of its own and was bothering my spirit.  I tried everything I could do to ‘fix’ it but there was no fixing this one.  God would have to intervene.  I was feeling a bit down over it along with all the monumental January tasks at hand. Ug… 

Then God stepped in that week. (once again) I received a call on our business line.

I couldn’t answer the call and to be honest didn’t worry because it was an out-of-state number and assumed that it might be a telemarketer.  Within minutes my phone gave me that familiar tone that there was a message waiting for me. 

I checked the message and paused my work.

It really wasn’t for me.  The person was looking for a publishing company.  We are an HVAC company.  You can’t confuse the two.  I knew it wasn’t for me but I wanted to call the woman back and let her know she had the wrong number. 

When I finally made the call, it became a strange twist of events that turned out to be a “God Blessing” in my life.  God sent me a beautiful woman from Texas to fellowship with me in the middle of my crazy month.  She is a sister in Christ and a writer.  God knew we needed to meet.  What a blessing that phone call was!

She said during our call that, “It was a God thing!”  It was!

I needed that moment.  She doesn’t know it, but she filled my cup that day.

God knew I needed it.

Sometimes the random phone calls are the best!

We all need each other. 

We are all a piece of the fellowship puzzle.

God uses each of us to lift downtrodden spirits.

Who has God put on your heart? 

Pick up your phone and text them right now.

Don’t let this moment get away from you.  Let God guide you to bless someone this week!

Remember you can’t outgive God.

Love you guys!

'Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. '

1 Thessalonians 5:11

 

Here is some information about this this beautiful woman I met:

https://www.woodlandsonline.com/npps/story.cfm?nppage=55926

https://www.instagram.com/simplethoughtsonlife/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7jdhPiKegM

 

                                                       Copyright © 2022 Peggy A. Priest. All Rights Reserved.