WOW, it's been a while. We have been working on our new house and let me tell you, it's a beast. I never knew how much work went into remodeling. It has blown me away how tedious this work can be. We bought a house that had a fire in the third garage, it only burned for 8 minutes but did some damage to that garage area. There was smoke damage throughout the main house. We have replaced floors, paint, countertops, fixtures, and put in a brick arch and a few other structural changes. It's an amazing home 3,400 heated square feet with 1 1/2 acres in a beautiful neighborhood. God allowed us to get the house for an incredible price and we have had so many blessings from people in our church just volunteering their time and expertise to help us out. We are walking into this house with tons of equity.
The amazing lesson that God has taught me through this experience can be summed up in one sentence; Blessings only come through hard work and commitment. I know that's not just some earth shattering revelation but it has been eye-opening for me. Often times I think we get stuck in this mentality that, "one of these days a blessing is going to drop out of the sky". That's a big fat load of hog wash. That's opposite from the way God works. I truly believe that if you and I will buckle down and prove to God that we will work for our blessing that He can then trust us with that blessing.
Jen and I made a tough decision at the end of 2006 to double our giving. We felt impressed by God to begin giving to other ministries and individuals outside of the causes that we normally give to. I can tell you that we have been blessed 100 times more than we have given and that is a documented statistic. It has blown my mind the things that God has done for us.
I want to encourage you to dream big, give more, and work harder. Through that process God will bless you more and more and more.
Continue to pray for us. I have been traveling more than ever and seeing some incredible things in the Spirit. I believe that there is a major shift happening spiritually right now and in the next 2 years we are going to see a rejuvenation of the body and an injection of young adults into the kingdom. I want to be a part of it. I truly pray that God blesses you this year. Remember that He will bless you according to the seeds that you have planted, so get out there and plant some seeds.
Love you guys. Dream Big.
In God's Grip,
Jeremy
