Saturday, May 28, 2011

What A Diffrence A Week Can Make


What a difference a week can make in a person’s life!  A couple of weeks ago Cora and I decided to attend the International Child Evangelism Fellowship conference in Asheville, North Carolina.  Unwilling to go into debt to attend, we figured if God wanted us to attend, He would supply us with enough money to go and return with enough to sustain us until I got back to work again.  He did and has.
A Brief History
For several years, I have had the conviction that I needed to be in ‘the Ministry’, but had no idea what to do.  Preaching?  Surely, you jest!  I have the gift of gab but that is just too serious a position with eternal consequences, just to stand in front of a congregation (read I & II Timothy and Titus).  I do not have the schooling for a solid theological background, though that can be corrected with time.  Yet I believe I had a season in my life that disqualified me from becoming a pastor.  Yes, all sin is forgiven for believers except that of rejecting Christ as Lord and Saviour.  (That is a non-believer and therefore they are condemned already.)  However, sin in a confessing believer will always-Always-ALWAYS, have consequences, even after the sin is confronted, confessed, and corrected.  As a result, I felt I was/am disqualified for that type of eldership.  That does not mean my thinking is off at this point, it just means that until proven otherwise, this is what I believe.  So I continued to look for ways to serve, staying in the background, and helping who and/or where I could.
Milestones
In every life, there are markers that help a person identify how they are doing as they grow up both physically and spiritually.  Some known physical examples are; marks on the doorjamb measuring height over the years, first day at school, graduation, job, etc.  For me, songs with a Biblical basis, making an emotional connection to the “season” of my life have always been my milestone markers.  Whether I was depressed, excited, moved by something inspirational, or I felt the Lord confirming a truth I had read in the Bible, I always marked them with music.  Music has a deep emotional connection that the Lord uses for some people.  An example, for me, would be just after Job received all of the devastating news about his family and holdings.  The only thing he had left was his wife and the servants that reported the tragedies.

     Job 1:20-22  Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head, and he fell to the ground and worshiped.  He said, "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I shall return there.  The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away.  Blessed be the name of the LORD."  Through all this Job did not sin nor did he blame God.  NASB.

The song connection for me is from Matt Redman, “Blessed Be Your Name”.  I was going through some convicting times and was learning what the word ‘surrender’ meant in context with being a slave to a sovereign God and being obedient to Him regardless of the cost.  (I recommend John McArthur’s book ‘Slave’ or his YouTube messages, for further exploration on this topic.)  Milestones like this have the effect of changing the course of one’s life … forever.
This is when it finally clicked for me; I needed to go with Cora to the I.C.E.F. conference.  Always trying to be responsible and earn an income to support my family, I knew that this choice could cost me my job.  Having taken a couple of weeks off earlier due to health issues, I really did not want to push for the time off.  Asking God for direction, I had a peace about leaving the job to attend, knowing that God would support us if I lost my job.  It was that important to Him, and so it was to me.  Yet, I could not figure out what God had in store for us.  All I could hear was go and then listen.  About Thursday, I had the realization what step three was … surrender.  To surrender to whatever the Lord wanted of me; be it to preach, teach, serve local, serve regionally, or serve overseas.  The main thing was to surrender to Him and be the submissive servant that He required of me as a child of God.  Only then would He direct my path for His glory and honour.
Throughout the entire conference, I kept meeting people that would tell me things that confirmed what I already knew.  One lady that I talked with told of having one of those ‘never-never’ moments with God and how God dealt with her.  She had heard Gods call but stomped her foot and said I am ‘never-never’ going to serve there God, it is just too ___.  She then confirmed what I expected.  Never challenge God by saying ‘never’.  (There is a paradox in this statement, but I won’t go there.)  Through various means, God worked on her heart until she finally surrendered.  She and her husband went to that ‘never-never’ place.  Several years later, another move was indicated to a different location.  This time it was to a place more dangerous.  Once again, she said ‘never-never’.  Through prayer, she realized how useless it was to say ‘never-never’.  She told me that she looked at her husband and asked, “Why are we even talking about this when we already know that it is God’s will to go?”  They submitted and now are going to where they said they ‘never-never’ would once more, accepting God’s sovereign will with joy.
The amazing thing for me, I think, was that I had already surrendered just by going to the conference.  Look at my FB status about going off to the ‘Great Adventure!’  Deep in my heart, I think I already knew what was going to happen.  (My accountability partner would be most willing to confirm this and not with a chuckle or smile, but a hearty round of laughter and an “I told you so!” thrown in for good measure.)  I just had to go through the process of grieving a rebellious nature to God, to reach that acceptance of His Sovereign will.  For those who have gone through this process, you know what I mean and how sometimes it is VERY hard … on you and those around you.
Plans, Praise, and Prayer Request
So now what do we do?  Well, Cora will continue as director with the Klamath-Lake chapter of C.E.F.  I will return to the truck for now, working to clear what is left of our debt and saving as much as possible (please note:  I make it, Cora manages it.  Quite well, I might add.)  This year or next, I will apply to C.M.I. for formal training for C.E.F.  After that … I am not sure.  I say this with the caveat that … all is carved in water and subject to change to how the Lord will move in our lives.
I am so grateful to family and friends that have been praying for me all of my life.  I am also grateful to family and friends that pray for Cora.  She has needed a lot more since marrying me!  I will praise His name for His continued grace and tender mercies on both of us.
I ask you to pray for us daily for:  spiritual growth, wisdom, discernment, humility, and boldness for work in His kingdom.  Those of you, who know us, know how much of a leap this is for both of us.  However, we want to do this right and cannot without LOTS of prayer, especially from those who believe that this is truly our calling.  It helps if you know and love us as well!
So now, it is time to sign off.  Thank you for taking the time to read this small milestone in our lives.  I trust the Lord will bless us with many more that I will try to share with you as we grow and go.  Thank you for your prayers as well.
His glory, our goal!
Your brother-in-Christ,
Duane

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Three Weeks of Insanity

Duane started an attempt at a blog before he had to get ready to get back on the truck: He called it “What a difference a week can make”. Pretty good title, if you ask me, but I’m figuring there’s been enough going on in the last THREE weeks to make a decent sized book. I’ll spare you THAT length, but I’ll let you share a bit of the ride. 
Backing up just a bit, you need to know that we’ve been praying about the possibility of Duane being in full-time ministry in general, but really didn’t know if/where/what/when. Well there’s a lot of that that we STILL don’t know, but God’s been busy. About three weeks ago, I was telling Duane about some of the ministry needs going on in the global picture of CEF (did you realize that at least in the US, we have about 75%ish of our workers entering retirement age in the next 10-15 years?). Something clicked in Duane’s head right about that time and what had been months of God hammering away at his/our heart, turned into action. Duane asked me what it would take to get the two of us to CEF’s International Conference, where I had told him it would be the best opportunity to see CEF in its “big picture”. After doing the figuring, we realized that God had used our careful budgeting of His finances, and that we had about $50 to spare after all anticipated costs. So, we made the commitment. I’d love to give you details, but I promised not to write a book. Just in those
10 days we saw miracles of God’s provision of favor with Duane’s boss, care for our three “kids” AND house, help to prepare for upcoming CEF events, perfect timing on the flights, and so much more. By the time we got there, we were blessed by an upgrade of our rental car from the cheapest, smallest car to a 2011 Dodge Charger (sweet ride btw!), the ability to visit my friends Tiffany and Andrew and their baby, Isaac, time together, blessing on our relationship with God and each other, meeting new friends and reacquainting with old ones. Just amazing times. And that was just the beginning. Before we left for the conference, Duane had acknowledged the two steps that we KNEW to take: first of all, just to GO to the conference, but secondly to LISTEN to God. We both did that, and were challenged on a daily basis on so many levels. Our walk with God in general was impacted, but specifically our prayer life, and in worship, and hunger for the Word. By Friday of the conference though, we knew that we were in the middle of God doing something bigger. God had broken through the hurdles we had each placed before our willingness to surrender. For me, it was a fear of both the unknown, and concern for how God would provide. I’ve lived as a
missionary for most of my adult life, so it wasn’t anything new to depend on God for EVERYTHING, but there had been comfort in my husband having a “real” job on which to depend (Never mind the fact that we had to trust God for THAT too!). I’m not sure what all Duane was dealing with, other than just not being sure what he was committing to. It was funny though, through our time there, we were constantly hearing God answer our questions through people we’d meet that had no idea of the struggle we were having. One person talked about how they handled the “never never lands” – saying yes to God when He asked you to go where you thought you’d “Never never” go. Another family talked about how they
balanced family life and ministry. So often it was sooo obvious that God’s sense of humor and sovereignty had created these divine appointments to address our human, fragile needs. He doesn’t HAVE to do that, but in his tender compassion, he blessed us the entire week in answer to so many prayers of our friends. Nightly we would compare notes on what God had been challenging each of us with. On Friday we just looked at each other, at peace, knowing that we were embarking on an adventure. We knew that step three was to SURRENDER to His plan, and we were ready to do that. So: we believe God is calling Duane into ministry with CEF. We THINK that means we need to pay off all debt (continuing the process we’ve been careful to work on already!), then save enough to pay the bills while he attends CEF’s three-month training in Missouri next year. However you cut it, I am soooo grateful to share the ministry with my husband, and look forward to seeing what God does with us together.
Would you please commit to praying for us both? Pray daily for our walk with Him and each other. Pray for clear direction. Pray for strength in the battle, and confidence in His calling. Pray for those who are walking through this process with us to have God’s wisdom, and pray for more workers to join us. May Jesus Christ be honored and glorified in and through us!

Watch for Duane’s perspective, coming soon. J

Monday, May 2, 2011

Money Saving Tips

I decided this time to just make this two separate posts instead of merging them, since they're so vastly different in topic. :)
Last week at the Dave Ramsey course, we had opportunity to bounce ideas around for ways to find bargains, and I was able to share some of the ideas I've found, as well as glean from others.
So here are a few resources I've found that may be of some help for you, too. Most of these could be entire blog posts in and of themselves, so I'll limit these just to the links and my comments on them.

To save money in the food department:
E-Mealz - E-Mealz is a great program and only $5.00/month. It provides a new menu each week with simple dishes for each dinner. Recipes are simple and varied (including some crockpot meals, others involve assembling prepared foods, and others involve simple food-prep). They offer plans for 2-person menus, family menus, menus for shopping at Walmart, or different stores, or for different diets (portion control, gluten free, low-carb, low-fat, vegetarian). I used the "2-person at Walmart" menu, and subscribed for a year. Most of that time I was a single, so would use left-overs for lunches, but still didn't go through the menus fast enough. So after a year I quit my subscription, and just go back to last years menus to get ideas for this year.

Menu Planning - Nothing takes the place of actually planning your menu. I use a weekly menu, which also has space for the grocery list on the side. Taking the menu AND the list with me helps me make any on-the-fly changes at the grocery store with ease.

Price Comparison List  - At LEAST take good MENTAL note of which stores have better prices on the things you regularly buy. I find it easier to keep them written down, and even have a file on my PDA that I can carry with me in the store for quick reference. I started with the printable resources in the organizer notebook (click here for another AWESOME resource on a notebook to centrally organize much of your household). Eventually I made my own Excel file on which to compare several stores conveniently. If you would like me to email that to you, let me know. This can be handy even to refer to when you get the coupons out of the Sunday paper. I saw today that Fred Meyers and Albertsons had fliers. If I'm wondering if their sales would make it worth it to shop there for even a few things, I can compare their sales prices to the regular prices at Sherms and Walmart where I usually shop before I ever walk out the door.

Grocery List - #1 Make a list. #2 stick to it. If you are prone to giving in to adding a bunch of stuff to your cart, here are some tips. #1. Give yourself permission to add only ONE item to the cart that isn't on your list (for me Gummy Worms often fall in this category unless I have the foresight to add Gummy Worms to my list!). #2. Don't go shopping when you're hungry. #3 If you really only have a few things on your list, carry a basket, instead of pushing a cart (your arm gets tired faster this way, and you make your way to checkout much faster!). #4 Know that stores have carefully planned what goes on the end-caps: If you see a good deal, find that item in the aisle where it's usually located to see if you find the variety that you like better, and compare to any store-brand supplies that might be cheaper still. #5 Keep your list handy through the week, so you can easily add to it as you think of things, or as you develop your menus to avoid unnecessary return trips to the store.

Household Stuff:
Coupons - Use the Sunday paper for a resource (see notes above). Use websites that sell coupons for just pennies, or even let you print coupons for free. If you're ordering something online, do a quick search for the item's name and the word "coupon code" or "special offer", and see what comes up. Often there will be some kind of referral code or special offer that may be applied. Be careful though: I've seen some offers come up that I couldn't use in good Christian conscience as it would involve saying/assuming that I had gotten the code with a purchase, when I hadn't, even though they wouldn't know the difference. I also know that in some areas, groupon.com is a great resource, but we don't have one in Klamath Falls, so I can't recommend it from any personal experience. One IMPORTANT tip when using coupons: ONLY use coupons on items you were going to buy anyway. You don't need to spend $4 more than you were going to spend anyway, just because the item is $2 off! The exception to this (in MY mind) would be if it's something you were WANTING to buy/try ANYWAY, but didn't want to spend the regular price. For example, I've been interested in trying some tooth whitening stuff, but wasn't gonna spend $40 for the kit. I found a $10 coupon in the paper that I'm considering using. The things I'm asking myself include: Would I actually use it (Duane reminded me that I have some clearance rack special toothpaste stuff that I still haven't used in the 4 or 5 months that I've had it, so would I REALLY use it?)? and even with the coupon, is it actually a reasonable price now (ie, is this stuff really WORTH $30 to me anyway - with or withOUT the coupon!?).
Money-Saving Mom - Don't let the name fool you. I'm definitely not a mom, but I've found some GREAT deals on here that helped me be a wiser steward of the supplies God's given me. This gal sends out a daily email with links to deals, as well as blogs from her and others who have ideas for saving money. Using an offer she linked to, I made Duane's Christmas present - a photo book - and had it printed and shipped for the cost of shipping ($8) instead of $24 + shippping. Another time, I scored a coupon for a buy-one-get-one-free at Baskin Robbins, so Duane and I could afford a cheap date. I've also seen deals on movie tickets, all kinds of household supplies, and SO MUCH more. Also, they have plenty more money-saving ideas, coupon resources and codes, as well as heads-up on Facebook pages from companies that are giving things away. 

Resources for selling/buying stuff:
One more way to save money is to MAKE money by selling things. I've started a list of good quality items that are worthy of being sold (everything from the air conditioner to my wedding dress - still deciding on that one!), and then I'm working my plan. I have made a chart with columns for the item, "asking price", store/site, date of listing the item, and a checkbox for when it's sold. There are a number of ways to actually sell it, so here we go. 

craigslist.org - This is a great place to find things in your own community (this link is to the one for Klamath Falls, but you can find other areas). There are a lot of free things here, and it's a great place to buy/sell everything from appliances to antiques, to game systems, to cars. This is like a free classifieds listing. The other day I sold a mattress set and the washer and dryer set in less than 24 hours. The key here: don't try to get back what you paid for it: offer it for a price that people can't pass up. Other washer and dryer sets were going for $200 and up, but I marked mine for $75. They were used, but they worked. However they were taking up space, and I was willing to part with them for $75 as long as I could part with them quickly! On that one, we actually made an extra $25 by delivering them.

ebay - this works as an online auction, so before you try to buy or sell, check out a tutorial on how it works. As with Craigslist and Amazon, you need to be aware of ways people might scam you, but common sense should prevent you from any problems. Don't let the horror stories rob you of some great opportunities!

Amazon -  if I have items in newer condition (books, electronics, etc) to sell, this is where I'll go. A lot of the items are already listed on the site, I just look for the item, click "Sell yours here", and follow the steps. There's a higher competition on this site though: make sure you price it low enough to sell, or be willing to sit on it for a while.

I haven't mentioned yard sales yet, but here's my theory. First, I want to sell as much as I can online. Yes, it's gonna be a pain to describe each item online, and then ship it, but shipping is paid for by the customer, and I'm much more likely to find someone willing to pay a higher price for an item (helps pay for the time to list it online!). Online, usually someone is specifically looking for the item you have, where in a yard sale, it's mostly browsers, or those just out to get a good deal on SOMETHING (it's a bonus to them if it's useful). So after I'm done online, here are a couple other options:

Yard sales - Pick a good weekend, advertise well, and maybe go in with someone else so you have lots to choose from (just don't go buying all your friend's stuff! lol).

Consignment stores (clothing, tools, etc), auctions, scrap metal yards, etc.

When you're done with your sales, and you still have stuff left over, don't let it just filter back into your other belongings. If you made it this long without using it, you probably don't need it that bad, and it's just adding to the clutter. Unless it's really worth something, and you're pretty sure it'll sell at a different time (and no, waiting 15 years til it's an antique doesn't count!), GIVE it away! The mission, Salvation Army, Goodwill, ReSale, etc. If it's really trash though, don't try to pawn it off on someone else. Do EVERYONE a favor, and recycle or throw it away! Don't waste anymore time or space on the items!

Okay, so this oughta be plenty to help get the creative juices flowing. Would you add your comments below, so others can glean from your experience and ideas too? Thanks so much!!!
Oh and does anyone want to buy an air conditioner? lol

Sunday, May 1, 2011

Half-Way to 100!

Not too long ago, when I turned 25 (I won't tell you HOW long ago), The Tuckers gave me a birthday card proclaiming "Wow! You're half-way to 50!" Well, I was glad to remind Duane this weekend that he is now half-way to 100!
Anyone who knows Duane knows that he doesn't celebrate birthdays, and he's got decent reaons, but this year I put my foot down. Maybe it's cuz I'm his "new bride". Maybe it's cuz I batted my eyes at the right moment. MAYBE it's cuz he was reminded of one of the reasons he married me: "she fights back!" and he knew I wouldn't back down til he gave in, so give in he did. I told my dear husband that he WOULD have a birthday party, and he WOULD have at least 10 people at his party. What he wanted to do for the party was up to him. He must have been feeling like royalty, cuz he decided that just like the queen, the only presents he wanted anyone to bring was their own "Presence". He ended up convincing 15 people to show up! Of course several people had fun bringing appropriate presents anyway, including the card from Dennis and Melanie that acknowledged his royalty. They encouraged him that being king for a day was a great idea, as long as he didn't spend the whole day on the "throne" (cue flushing sounds as the card is opened). I just gave him a sympathy card, offering my condolences on the passing of his 40s. Duane was a great sport about it all, and ended up having a fantasticly fun day. He cooked dinner for us all in true Tucker fashion: Tri-tip, chicken, green beans and bacon, fruit, veggies, salad, and way more than we could actually eat. Mom Tucker made a great German Chocolate cake (MMMMMMM!!!!), which we topped with all 50 candles. Everyone was duly impressed that my husband so expertly and efficiently blew out every one of those candles (insert snide remark here, including words like "blow hard" and "wind bag")!
I must add a note of great gratitude to both of Duane's parents who showed up hours early to help us get the house ready. I was on Day 5 of a cold/sinus infection, and just generally wiped out. Thank you SO MUCH to them for putting in a long day to make it such a blessing of a party. Oh and Christina and Mona popped up to do the dishes afterward, which was such a relief. We were able to rest that evening, grateful for such wonderful friends! Thanks to everyone who was there!
There's still time to add birthday greetings for Duane in a comment below, as his actual birthday isn't until tomorrow.