"Write down today's date because...."

Its hard to believe its almost Thanksgiving....especially because we have been running the AC all month and it just doesn't feel cold enough yet to be Thanksgiving! Although today we enjoyed a high temp in the low 60s which was a nice change, its supposed to be back to AC running weather in a couple of days. I'm wondering will we ever need to turn on the heater in Texas?! But since it is almost Thanksgiving, I've been thinking about how there are so very many things for which we have to be thankful. A huge one for me is this house, on this block, on this street. There have been instances when we've wondered about living in this house. We have been told by others that we wouldn't want to live here and maybe we should get on a list to move to a different house just a couple blocks up from here. Perhaps it will help you to understand why this would be said.....we've been told things about this area that wouldn't be high on anyone's list such as drug activity, gang activity, gun shots, drive by shootings, theft, and even a hit and run. We would be lying if we said we haven't had moments of thinking....um, maybe we should find a different place to live. And moments when we've said to each other "ohhh, its not THAT bad." (that became a joke for us...laughter is good!) Sometimes we try to not talk about the scary things that are around us....maybe if we pretend like its not that way, then it just won't be?! But I've come to the conclusion that just being factual about it is not a bad thing...in fact, its because of these very facts that God is glorified here. Its because of His Protection that we are fine here. Its because of His Power and His Peace, that we are at peace here and our children play outside here. And ultimately we always go back to the week that God showed us that this is to be the home for us here. God spoke to me so clearly through His Word on July 17th, "Write down today's date because..." (Ezekiel 24:2 NLT) so I did and later that day we were placed in seminary housing after being told there was a very long waiting list and many would not be placed at all. Later that same week God showed Steve that he was to step out in faith through the reading of Joshua 3......God didn't part the Jordan River until the priests took the first steps in. So it was our turn....to take that step and say yes to this home...sight unseen. We just loaded up the Ryder truck less than a month later and drove to it and could hardly wait to see inside. Crazy...I know. But now, any time any doubt tries to creep into our minds, we always always always go back to the foundation of why we are here...this is where God put us, so this is where we will stay. And there are families here...families that God loves....children that God loves. There are 3 different ethnicities on this block that we know of. There are even people that have lived here for over 25 years and have been praying all that time for the people here. I had the privilege of having 2 of the precious women who live close to me come over and tell me how they have prayer walked and how they have prayed for the one who accepted Christ at our house last month. They were so thrilled to hear about it. And the pastor of the church we have been visiting showed up while those ladies were here and one of them asked him to lead us in a prayer for our neighborhood and that we could be a light for Christ here. As I was standing in a circle with these 3 people that I had just met, praying in a house we had just moved into, I was so amazed at the ways of God. There just aren't words to describe it! So....that's a huge 'thanksgiving' for us....that God has plopped us down right here in the midst of darkness so His Light can shine all the brigher....and most of all we are thankful for the One who died so that all who receive Him may have life.
Thomas said to him, "Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?" Je$us answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:5-6