A few years ago John and I made the decision (after years and years of talking, praying, and thinking about it) to buy a new home. We began the exciting and tiring search of looking for the house that was perfect for us. We had ideas of what we wanted. We knew we needed more square footage for my home office, workout room, etc. and we had an idea of a floor plan. We hunted for a long time, but couldn’t find the house. Then, during John’s third bout with cancer, we found it in the Indian Brook subdivision. It was perfect! It had a two story great room, a catwalk, a huge room for an office upstairs, plenty of bedrooms for visitors, a finished basement, a two story entry way, a first floor master suite, a large utility room, three garages… it was perfect! And the best part was that it worked within our finances! The realtor called to see if we were truly interested. I told her what we’d offer, but that we weren’t putting it in writing unless the owner said, “Okay”. She called me back and said, “The owner says to put it in writing.” I explained that John and I would discuss it that evening, so we were certain all medical expenses were covered, etc. She said, “What medical expenses?” I told her that my husband wasn’t bald, but that he was going through chemo. She never returned my calls and the house had a sale pending sign on it about three days later. We were heart broken. We’d try to keep our chins up and very regularly say, “ It’s ok, God’s got something else even better planned for us.”Sometimes we meant it and sometimes, even though we didn’t feel it, we’d say it out loud just to plant it in our spirits. All too often, though, we’d feel, “Why didn’t we get the house in Indian Brook? It was perfect! It had everything we wanted. It was the right price! Why couldn’t we have just gotten that house? We’re never gonna find one like that again! Soon the words would follow, “No, God’s obviously got something better planned.”
We continued to look only to find nothing and feel disappointed. We looked for a year and began discussing the idea of building. We decided to pursue it and started looking for land. This felt impossible in Lima. There were no lots! There was a neighborhood we loved, but we hate debt and the price would have been more than we were comfortable spending. We sadly left the idea of that neighborhood behind. So we kept looking, very regularly thinking, “Why couldn’t we have just gotten the house in Indian Brook? Yeah, yeah, God’s got something better planned.” We finally found a lot on a beautiful wooded ravine with a bubbling brook running behind it. This worked. Now all we had to do was locate a plan. This did not work. We looked through hundreds of them. When we’d locate one we wanted, we’d find that it wouldn’t fit on the lot! We would have had to build a house we didn’t really want in order to be on that lot. We aborted the idea of building because nothing was working out and we were beginning to believe we were supposed to be okay with simply staying in our present home. We’d occasionally still think, “Why couldn’t we just have gotten that house? Oh well, God’s got something better planned.”
After several more months we decided to look again into buying. We set out on the trek of looking at houses for sale. None of them were right. One evening, as we pulled out of a neighborhood, we noticed a house being built across the street. We decided to look at it, only to definitely discover it wasn’t what we wanted at all. That night I said to John, “Wouldn’t it be great if we could find a house in the process of being built? You know, I’ll bet you God’s building us a house right now!” Two days later my husband returned from a bike ride pretty excited. He said, “I think I found a house! Come on, come look at it.” It was framed and slightly under roof. I liked it-I didn’t love it, but it was hard to visualize beyond the two by fours. We decided we’d look into buying it. We were at the point of frustration and just wanted to find a house. We sat down with the builder and realized that financially it was doable. We began driving over every day, sometimes 2-3 times a day! We were imagining furniture inside, measuring closets, who knows what all! We were beginning to really believe it would be ours. One Saturday, as John was leaving Planet Health, he called and said, “I’m stopping over at the house, want to meet me?” I said “Okay.” (I didn’t have the heart to tell him that I’d already been there three times that day.) So, as he did whatever it was he was doing, I sat on the steps in the foyer and waited for him. As I sat there I began to look around. All of the sudden it hit me! “Oh my gosh, there’s the 2 story great room! And look, here’s the 2 story entryway. Look up there, there’s the catwalk! Over here’s the first floor master suite. Back there’s the huge utility room, the three-car garage, the enormous office, the basement. Oh my gosh…This Is That House, This Is The House In Indian Brook … only it’s brand new and we can finish it however we want! God had something better planned. We didn’t get the house in Indian Brook because He was planning on building us a new one all along.” I sat there that day and wept at God’s goodness. And as you read this story, standing in the beautiful home God built for us, I am still overcome at how He works all things together for good. Incidentally, God built our new home in the very neighborhood-Amanda Lakes-that we originally wanted a lot in, but felt the prices were too costly for us! God is indeed so amazing! He really did have something better planned all along… something spectacular!
Maybe you’re going through a time where you’re hurt, bitter, angry or confused about why something didn’t happen for you that appeared would be perfect. May I suggest boldly that God’s got something even better planned. Rest in that, believe it, speak it out loud. After all my friend, you’re reading this in the house The Lord built. Donna Krech (2002)
One of the most important areas of health is spiritual health. It is through spirituality that humans find our purpose and meaning. Spirituality is expressed through faith. Mine is Christianity. The following article reflects my faith and is my favorite Christmas composition. After that, there’s a word on Christmas from our buddy Zig Ziglar and myself.
One Solitary Life
He was born in an obscure village, the child of a peasant woman. He grew up in still another village where He worked in a carpenter’s shop until He was thirty. Then for three years He traveled and preached. He never wrote a book. He never held an office. He never had a family or owned a house. He did not go to college. He never visited a big city. He never traveled more than two hundred miles from the place where He was born. He did none of the things man usually associates with greatness. He had no credentials but Himself.
He was only thirty-three when the tide of public opinion turned against Him. His friends ran away. He was turned over to His enemies and went through the mockery of a trial. He was nailed to a stake between two thieves. While He was dying, His executioners gambled for the only property He had on earth, his coat.
When He was dead, He was laid in a borrowed grave through the pity of a friend. Two Thousand years have come and gone and today He remains the central figure of the human race and the leader of mankind’s progress.
All the armies that ever marched, all the fleets that ever sailed, all the parliaments that ever sat, all the kings that ever reigned, put together, have not affected the life of men on this planet so much as that One Solitary Life. ~Dr. James Allen Francis, originally published 1928
Greetings from Zig’s Newsletter. Most of you will be reading this a few days before December 25, the day celebrated by Christians as Christ’s birthday.
Thanks to an elderly black lady who spent the July 4, 1972, weekend in our home, I committed my life to Christ and every facet of my life was radically changed for the better. I became a “new creature” and quickly learned that God’s possibles are infinitely greater than man’s permissibles. As I studied Biblical principles and started teaching them, my career exploded. When I accepted Christ as my Lord, I received my “BA”– that’s “Born Again.” As a born again Christian I became a joint heir with Christ to the Kingdom of God and truly fell in love with my wife of over 28 years. Loving her through Christ really taught me what love was all about.
As a born again Christian I wanted to share my faith with others and make decisions that reflected that faith. In that process I received my second degree, the “DD”-that’s “Disturbing the Devil.” Yes, Satan is the devil, and he is the author of lies. When people see the joy in my life (and it’s more evident all the time), Satan doesn’t like that, and when I call him a liar and tell people about the Bible, that, too, disturbs the devil. When I am privileged to bring someone to a saving knowledge of Christ, that disturbs him even more.
As I continued in my Christian walk I received my “Ph.D.,” which means that I am “Past Having Doubt.” Our pastor teaches that when we believe God can do it, that’s little faith. When we believe that God will do it, that’s big faith. When we believe it’s a done deal, that is perfect faith.
In this Christmas season we hear people using the term “happy holidays.” Needless to say, when Muslims are celebrating Ramadan, nobody says to them, “Happy Holiday,” and when my Jewish friends are celebrating Yom Kippur, nobody says to them, “Happy Holiday.” However, at Christmas, when we celebrate the birth of Christ (without which there would be NO Christmas), more and more people are sending “Happy Holiday” cards. When I’m greeted with “Happy Holidays!” I smile (and I encourage you to do the same thing), thank them, and then say, “I’ll go you one better. I’ll wish you a Merry Christmas, since this is the celebration of the birth that had the most impact of any birth since the history of mankind.” When the Babe in Bethlehem was born it was announced that He was the Savior of the world. When He made the supreme sacrifice on the cross, He simply said, “It is finished,” because when He arose three days later He had triumphed over the grave.
Christianity is not a “religion.” It is a relationship with Christ as Lord. All “religions” require that you work your way to Heaven with your good deeds. In Christianity, we believe our way into Heaven. The Bible clearly says that if we confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in our hearts that God raised Him from death, we will be saved.
Christmas is extraordinarily special to me and all born again believers.
Merry Christmas to all! ~Zig Ziglar
My prayer is that you’ll invite the Prince of Peace to live in your heart this season. Merry Christmas to you, my friends and family. You are one of the most amazing gifts in my life.
Your Physical Core Area is the next stop on your goal setting adventure for 2010.
It’s important to know that this core area is not just about your weight loss goals, dress size or how many 5k’s you intend to run next year…It goes much deeper than that!
Take a look at this weeks video blog. It also has a special tribute to my mentor, Jim Rohn, who passed away over the weekend. He will be truly missed! What an amazing legacy he has left!
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