Done with School

Today, I’m kind of winding down from everything the past few days.  William is now done with school for this semester – we turned in his last paper today.  The class wasn’t exactly what we expected and the school itself is a great disappointment so far – for the money, and only getting $833 back in financial aid to live on in a semester, and that even 2 months into the semester – it is definitely not worth going to school and getting into debt.  And for what?  An AA degree in Biblical Studies from a watered down school.  William works harder now than ever before and is so worn out most of the time that he has been getting sick more and doesn’t have the energy for anything more than going to work and coming home and going to bed.   IF we sign him up for school for spring semester (sign up is Nov. 7), we have to have several thousand for him to live on and NOT work – he can’t do both.  If we get to that point and find that we are only getting $800 again, we’re not doing it.  His call is to preach the Word, to bring unity to the Body, to call pastors (and people in general) to prayer, to disciple others  – not to chase after the wind and do the world thing of working as a slave to the system just to pay the basics and get into that never-ending cycle.   We are here to do God’s will and I know that He will continue to provide for us – it just has to be less physical work and more spiritual work!  I pray that the income for the art gallery/studio starts coming in so that William can spend more time in prayer and in the Word so that he can become what God intended for him when we came here to Colorado.

At prayer meeting last night, we were totally blessed by listening to this sermon by David Wilkerson called the Mission and Ministry of the Holy Spirit:  http://media.sermonindex.info/4/SID4263.mp3  -  based on 2 Cor 13:14.  The Holy Spirit is the most ignored person of the Godhead … Jesus sent Him and His whole purpose is to lead us to Jesus and prepare us to be the bride we were called to be – pure and spotless.  We are a work in progress and the Holy Spirit is given to us as a gift to help us through that process – and how do we react most of the time?  We ignore Him!  I totally agree with David in his sermon – we must seek after Him, learn, grow, and become all that God intended.  We are depriving ourselves of a most wonderful gift if we leave Him out of the loop!

Going to School

The gas guy came in to the store today and started furnace.  Later, another guy came in and checked for leaks – there was one!  It was warm out today, but cold is coming.  Erin from the Library came in – we set up classes for Dec/Jan for the after school kids program.   I guess every Thursday she does an after school program and she found out that I do art lessons.

We started the day listening to a sermon from Times Square Church, “Heavenly minded, earthly good” recorded July 7 by David O’Neill:  http://www.tscnyc.org/media_center.php?pg=sermons&mi=23897#.Uk2XF5soUn4.facebook

Awesome stuff – based on Eph. 2.

We discussed the real purpose for us being out here in Colorado – like William has said from the beginning – for discipline.  For him, it wasn’t just being in school, though that is part of it, but to work hard AND make sure he didn’t forsake God.  That is what we all need to do – we get so caught up in the ‘world’s stuff’ and squeeze God in for 5 minutes and call it done.  The REAL purpose for us existing is to have a relationship with God and squeeze the world in for the 5 minutes.   Not literally, because it really doesn’t work that way, but the concept is true.  We HAVE to put God first and foremost in our lives and then live our life ACCORDING TO HIS PURPOSE and plan, not ours.  We would be so much better off if we would just get that concept.  Overall, I have been happier, healthier, and more mentally stable the past few years doing God’s will that I ever have been in my entire life!   I had to get to my 50’s to figure that out!   Most of my life was doing my own thing and it is counted for nothing (burned up and burned out!) compared to the past few years of doing God’s purpose for my life!  It really does work that way!

William has been spending hours at night (up until 2-4 am!) in the Word and talking with God THEN getting up at 6 am and going to work every day - hard day’s laborious work!  I’m not even that disciplined.  I spend a bit of time in the mornings in the Word and reading devotionals – but that’s nothing compared to what I need to be doing.  That is where the real strength lies!  Yes, I am ‘doing His will’ with my days – ministering to people, having this gallery/ministry house here for them – but the real purpose for this place being here will not happen until I am totally filled with the Holy Spirit, spending a ton of time in His Word, THEN I will be empowered to be a real witness!  I am way too lazy – spending too much time trying to ‘make’ this thing work, looking for income, instead of getting the real power.  I have got to change things up!

William is finding that this school he is going to – Colorado Christian University – is really not much different than any secular university – the education may have a Christian coating on it, but the attitude, classes, and material is still very ‘worldly’.  He wants a REAL education and I don’t blame him!  We looked up:   School of Christ International – correspondence course – 156 lessons divided up into 19 series @ $50 each – we can do this!  Most of the curriculum is on the Holy Spirit – this is the real education he came out here for.  Maybe that was what God intended all along.  Sure, he will continue to go to CCU because financial aid pays for it, but we’re going to start this correspondence schooling and get the real truth, not the watered down stuff.  This, then, will tie in later when we go to Scotland and even Ireland.

We KNOW God is calling us there to work for a few months, we just don’t know when.  We can see how God has tied us in with The Springs Church; they have ties to Scotland, and now this correspondence school (that also has several campus’ throughout the world) that has a school in Limerick, Ireland.   Either way, however God orchestrates it all, doing His will is the best – and so much more fun!  God has caused so many miracles in our life, sending us out here with nothing, yet He has provided everything!  The bills are all paid, we have a place to live, to work, stuff to eat … we are truly blessed!