Ebenezer

Elise's favorite song is, "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing". Love that song! So rich with symbolism! However, I used to find the second verse rather strange: Here I raise mine Ebenezer; Hither by Thine help I've come. I've often wondered how many people have sung those words and have had a strange mental image of holding up Ebenezer Scrooge!

Actually, an Ebenezer is literally a "Stone of Help". It is a memorial that is set up to serve as a reminder of what God has done for a person or for a group of people.

Today is an Ebenezer day for the Schultings! I want to share with you three very specific and thrilling ways God made Himself known to Bill and I today.

The first event came around 2:30 p.m. I had just finished teaching my first three students and stopped on the way home for some gas. I had exactly $19.00 left to my name, and it all had to go into the gas tank or I would never have enough to finish my teaching obligations for the week. I then started to look for my library card so I could quickly pick up some books for my afternoon students. In searching for my card, I looked in an obscure pocket of my billfold. There, wadded up, I found $120.00!!!!! Praise the Lord! If you had been the driver behind me or next to me, you would have seen me singing and crying and raising my hands to praise the God from Whom ALL blessings flow! Still can't wipe the smile off my face! This will hold us over until my next pay day, give us gas money, and allow us to buy groceries!

After I was done teaching, I looked on my phone (which I leave in my car while I'm teaching so that it is not a distraction). I noticed two phone calls from my husband. I called him back and he said, "Joyce, something just happened!" He sounded winded to me, like it was hard for him to breathe. In that split second, I thought, Oh, no! Gracie died! Gracie is our precious little dog that is way too old to still be shakin' her tail! She is now blind and deaf, but she still has her frisky moments! I also thought, Oh, no! Something happened to one of the kids. Or maybe Bill is having chest pains! Thankfully, it was none of those things. What did happen was Bill had just received an email from his former employer asking him if he would like to come in to the office tomorrow and discuss a new job! How's that for a GIGANTIC answer to many. many prayers?

And the third wonderful way God showed us His unfailing love is when our doorbell rang this afternoon. There stood our sweet neighbor who told Bill that "a little birdie" had told her that I was sick (she reads this blog!) and so she made us supper! And not just any old supper! She had a delicious roast for us with potatoes , carrots, broccoli, rice and even dinner rolls! Bill and I both knelt by our couch in our living room and gave thanks to our Living God.

I hope you all will join us in giving thanks for such beautiful answers to prayer. And Bill and I want to thank each and every one of you that offered a prayer on our behalf. Blessings to you all.

I will end this happy blog with my final TOO TIGHT TUESDAY pictures. My experiment didn't work out as I had planned. Pictures never really captured how very tight that jacket was!!! I'm talkin' take your breath away tight! Anyway, while it is still too tight in the arms, it does fit much better than when I bought it. And I'm happy to report that I am 30 pounds lighter than when I began this jacket adventure! I still have a long way to go, but I'm proud of how far I've come! Now, everyone...tilt your head to the left and look!!! YEAH!!!! It fits!!!!!