So if you haven't heard yet: WE GOT A HOUSE!!!! Here's a few thoughts from two of the future roomies of the House of the Rising Son.

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"Jesus Loves a Cliffhanger" by Nikki

We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia...But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many. - 2 Corinthians 1:9-11

I hesitate to even begin this post with that particular verse, because in no way do I want to even remotely compare the bumps that we hit on the road to buying this house with the persecution and sufferings of the early church, but I point to it because although the severity of the trials are vastly different, the lesson is the same: "that we might not rely on ourselves but on God."

My amazing and wise friend Violet introduced me to a maxim that I'm quite fond of: God is never late, but He's very rarely early. She first said it when she was telling me the harrowing story of support raising for her 1.5 year mission stay in Ireland. From the very beginning, she was under budget. Every month, she was behind schedule on how much she should have raised, sometimes alarmingly so. Her bank account looked so dire that at t-minus 2 months or so she was having to seriously consider pushing the trip back another year, a thought that devastated her. Eventually, though, she came to the conclusion that this was the right time for her to go and that God wanted her to have faith that He would provide the money. It wasn't a very noble sort of faith; it was much the same kind as person has when they're trapped in a burning building and have to jump down into the safety net. Is it really even called faith when the only other option is death by inferno? We joked about that, and about the industrial set of pliers that God so often has to use to pry our fingers off the burning pieces of timber that we try so desperately to hold onto--our own strength, our own wisdom, our own sense of security. Violet finally let herself fall into the net and waited. And waited. And waited. Slowly...ever so annoyingly slowly...the money began to trickle in during those last few weeks. By the night before her departure, she was within hundreds of dollars of her support goal. Good enough, she thought. That'll work. The next morning, right before her flight, she got a call saying that one last check had come in and the goal was officially met. Next stop, Ireland.

I've heard this story told time and time again in countless reincarnations. Ours isn't much different. In January, I heard God tell me that August was the time to begin the House of the Rising Son. When Marc and I looked at the house on N. Robertson, we both felt that it was the perfect one for the community. Then, the setbacks came. One after another. The month of July passed quicker than it ever had in my entire life, each day bringing us closer to the end of my lease and a world of uncertainty should we not have a house by then. I freaked out. Heather freaked out. Marc was the most faithful of us all, but I think even he secretly freaked out a little. Eventually we had to grab hold of that no-other-options faith inside the burning building. Of course, you know the ending. God came through, just as He promised, with the sale of the house going through on August 1st, right on time and not a second early.

So how about that, eh? Our first major lesson learned together as a community and we aren't even all living in the same city yet! I can't think of a better way to start this ministry than with the overwhelming realization that we can do nothing in our own power, but everything through the grace of God who raises the dead and sends support checks and buys double shotgun houses.

I write this mostly to say thank you to all of you--you are "the prayers of many" that Paul talks about, and your encouragement means the world to us. I can only hope that we are able to bless as many people as have already blessed us, and that you will also be a part of the "many who give thanks" when we have our official housewarming party in a few weeks!

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"Fragments" by Leanna

fragmented pieces of my
life from here and there and
everywhere, all the
incompletes that have cost me so
much sleep and sanity are
now slowly coming together to
form a picture perfect life, like a
mosaic of everything i thought was
just broken, and i
am overjoyed, and i
am wondering how i
could ever have doubted you

so. i wrote this a week before the housing went through. in my mind, i knew god had it under control. still, it was hard. i have until august to get my stuff out of nashville. where do i take it from there? if not nola now, do i go ever? i have to have somewhere to move it, and if i sign a lease here to have somewhere to put it, is that god saying no? i really, really, really didn't want god to say no.

so many questions and things were hanging in lull, but i knew i saw them coming together somehow, like the fuzzy vision of the artist before the flooding of inspiration. my confidence was vague, and this poem helped me translate it from my mind into my heart and believe for the things i know god can do and would do. and now has done.

it is one of the places he hides; one of the places we have hidden him and forgotten, in 'the needs we were so anxious toward before they were met and exceeded.' but as nikki said, god is never late. he has never cancelled last minute or no-call-no-show'd. he has always been there.

and he's not quitting anytime soon. he's loyal & faithful 'til the end, despite our sometimes frail and doubting hearts. here's to the beginning of something beautiful.