$10 Gift Card to Educents

 Sign up now with Educents and receive a $10 gift card to use once

the site launches in April.  Educents is a new daily deal site

featuring educational products at a discount.  Homeschool products 

will be available.  On their Facebook page, they mentioned a

discount on Saxon Math.  The site will launch April 2, 2013, so  

sign up now!

                                       

I Have Hidden Your Word in my Heart...

My husband I have both felt an increased urgency to really get the Word in our hearts.  Truthfully,

when we are faced with thoughts, conversations, or situations, the Word should come to mind.  But,

if we don't really know the Word, it will not come to mind. 

The areas we are feeling the need to concentrate on right now are finances and healing.  Yesterday I

copied a few verses from those areas using Joyce Meyer's "The Secret Power of Speaking God's

Word."

 The kids and I taped up the verses in high traffic areas in our house.  In the past, I've written verses

on index cards, but I thought a regular sized sheet of paper might work better (I can see it from

farther away!) 

Preparing for Spring

Filling flower pots with soil even though it's cold outside!

 

A couple weeks ago at a homeschool class at the Science Center, the kids made paper.  They loved

 

it!  The instructor helped the kids mix seeds in with the paper before it was pressed and dried.  Today,

 

we planted our paper. 



 

 

Putting plantable paper filled with seeds in the pots.

This past fall, we dug up two flowers from one of our flower beds and brought them inside to use for

our science discussion about how plants grow.  The kids have loved watching the flowers all

winter.  We are looking forward to seeing the new plants come up this spring.  I'm so thankful for

the spring season that God chose to follow winter. 

The Word of God Concerning Finances

God's Instructions for Us

In order to have a renewed mind, we must study the Word and let it sink deep into our hearts.  Do you desire to believe and trust God in the area of finances?  Then, renew your mind......

Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.  Luke 6:38

Owe nothing to anyone—except for your obligation to love one another. If you love your neighbor, you will fulfill the requirements of God’s law.  Romans 13:8

And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.  Philippians 4:19

Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.  3 John 1:2

Sign Up & Receive $15 Educents Gift Card

Sign up now with Educents and receive a $15 gift card to use once

the site launches in April.  Educents is a new daily deal site

featuring educational products at a discount. The site will launch

April 2, 2013, so sign up now!

Finances, Debt and God

One of our debts! 

In September of this past year, my husband and I felt God leading us to believe Him to be out of debt except for our home and van within one year.  At that point in time, in addition to our mortgage and van loan, we also owed on a 0% credit card, a zero turn lawnmower, a new desktop computer, and a credit line used to improve our home.  (Whew!  Looking back it seems worse than I realized!)  We were both in agreement and started believing that it was possible with God and praying for wisdom on what we needed to do in addition to believing.

In a short time, we started seeing money come in from various sources.  Knowing that God and not my husband's employer was our provider, we were believing for income in addition to what Dale received on his job.  This is what God did:
1) We received a large monetary gift.
2) Dale was able to work multiple overtime shifts.
3) Using Dave Ramsey's advice, we cashed in our whole life insurance policy and purchased a term policy.  We used the cash we received from cancelling the whole life policy to pay down debt.
4) We were contacted by the company whose pipeline runs through our property about a tree that needed to be removed.  We were compensated for the tree that they cut down.
5) Dale was provided with multiple side jobs.
6) We were able to use our tax refund to also pay off debt.

About six months after we began to believe God for the impossible, we have paid off the credit card, the lawnmower and the computer.  In the midst of that, we did once again use the 0% financing and purchase a new mattress.  After much prayer, Dale said that God told him it was fine, but he would have to work harder to pay off what we were believing to do in the year.

For years, I avoided reading anything by Dave Ramsey.  I had heard him a few times on the radio and it seemed so hard to live that way.  After purchasing our first home five years ago and going through many financial changes, we finally were ready to do things differently.

Owe nothing to anyone--except for your obligation to love one another. If you love your neighbor, you will fulfill the requirements of God's law.  Romans 13:8 (NLT)

There was a time when I wouldn't dwell on this scripture.  I love the way God takes us from understanding to deeper understanding.  It often amazes me how at one point in your life you can't imagine doing something and then a few years later, you are doing what you couldn't even begin to think about years before. 

I pray that by sharing our story (more to come), you will be encouraged to let God be your provider.  Ask Him how to manage your finances and seek Him with an open mind.  He has many blessings that pour out on your life as you seek His face.