OUR STORY Part 56: NIGHT WATCH ~ IT'S OFFICIALLY FORECLOSURE SALE DAY

I can't seem to sleep tonight. My gosh, this is just so very difficult, and on so many levels.

Losses, so many losses in such a short time. Horses, donkeys, our house, furniture, pictures, appliances, daily routines, a "home" and then there are those people who have become so very dear to us.

Tonight we had to run to the grocery store for our weekly shopping. It was an odd time of day, on a holiday to boot; and none of our regulars seemed to be working. It was really kind of depressing, especially since a couple of the guys have been really enjoying opening up and sharing their lives with Mike lately.

We have a little family over at Brookshire's in Lake Worth. It all began shortly after we moved here. A couple of years back the manager, Jonathan, approached us and told us that during their morning employee meeting they all discussed how we were their favorite customers. That touched us so deeply. Then just the other day one of the young guys made a point while loading our groceries in the truck to tell us that the checkers were recently discussing how we brighten up the store every time we come in, always with a happy disposition. We just looked at each other and said "wow" if they only knew.

I can remember our favorite little old box boy, Harold. He was in his seventies and lived alone with just he and his cat. He had the cutest little spiked hair do going on, and he was the most diligent worker; wouldn't let you push your own cart even though he was frail. He would load our truck and always make sure we knew where the E-G-G-S' were so that they didn't get broken. He had to spell the word out each and every time. Harold was very concerned about your eggs making it home safely, and Mike was concerned about Harold.

Mike spoke to him on several occasions making sure that Harold was firm in his relationship with Christ. Then one day we went shopping only to find out that Harold had gone home to be with His LORD. Everyone felt the loss of precious little Harold. It was after that Mike was able for the first time to engage in a conversation with the assistant manager who had always seemed somewhat shy.  The assistant manager was really heart broken about the loss of his little old buddy who had passed away and Mike was able to minister encouragement to him sharing of his talks with Harold, and reassuring the manager that Harold was in a better place. That really was a very precious moment!

The young checkers are always so sweet and love Mike ministering to them. One of our young ladies is pursuing a future in ministry through the Methodist church and we were able to give her an antique leather bound Wesley Hymnal we got on Ebay for $5.00. She was giddy!

One of the young men just discipled a fellow employee, a box boy who now openly shares his faith and wears a ring that says "Man of God." The other day he made a comment about my wedding ring and said he hoped to get married one day. I was able to share with him that a nice ring isn't the foundation of a good marriage, and told him to flee any young lady that made too much out of a piece of jewelry. We talked about how growing in faith together is the true bond that ties. I didn't share why, but did discuss that we were in fact selling my ring; and went on to share that I had a greater prize in being married to a husband who walks in sexual purity. He thought that was pretty cool!

Mike and the manager have had some great moments of heart felt discussion regarding faith and sexual purity for men. One afternoon they talked about some of the provocative cardboard beer advertisements that come in to the store; and as a result, the managers have relocated them out of the main stream of traffic putting them over where the alcohol is sold. Some actually even disappeared. =) After all, they run under the banner of being a Christian grocery store chain.

We have had such precious moments with the young checkers and courtesy clerks and haven't told them yet that we are having to leave because we know that it will be difficult for us all to say good bye. We have all grown so fond of one another.

Mike is writing a letter to the two young men he has been ministering to lately and giving them each one of our last two copies of "Every Day for Every Man" out of the Every Man's Battle series.  Seeds planted that God will certainly water through others down the road.

We had ordered a case of these dailys shortly after we arrived in Texas, and since then Mike has shared his testimony with many men; ministering over the past several years to the young Amish farrier brothers who recently ventured away from their roots; the tree trimmers from a broken family who were seeking for more of God; the exterminator who was praying for his broken relationship with his daughter and moving to be closer to her; the insurance salesman whose wife left him for another man; the business owner with five Rolex watches, two jags and a void in his life...and so on, and so on. Many seeds planted.

Well, I have to admit I am very scared right now. Afraid of the intense pain of the back to back losses hurting more than I can bare; and, of course scared of all the unknowns. The last couple of mornings when Mike and I have come together to pray he just holds me tight and begins; "Father, behold your son and daughter. Do not forsake your children, we need you now more than ever. We need a miracle!" Yesterday he surprised me a bit when he prayed a prayer that spoke volumes about how this all is really affecting him. He went on to pray "Father, we ask that when it is time, that you take us together. That we wouldn't be apart for one moment, but would enter Your Kingdom joined hand in hand." Words really can't express how deeply that touched my heart.

Well, we don't really have a clue what God's plan is for us, and as the Scriptures admonish us to "Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof." (Matthew 6:34) we can only deal with today, today. Each day has been filled to the brim with the tasks of preparing for our exit from Humble Acres. We still haven't located a trailer; and yet the sun continues to rise and set as the days rapidly approach the upcoming estate sale. We don't know anything except that God's Word promises that He will not leave us or forsake us.

Well, its 1:30am and the countdown clock has stopped, it's here now and the fight is officially over. Today someone else will perhaps take deed to our little Humble Acres.

They can take everything else but they can't take title to our love.

I love you Michael, forever!!!

OUR STORY Part 54: ANOTHER UNCOMFORTABLE COINCIDENCE?

Just when we think we can't feel any more sickened by this fraud case, the impression of another sharp object pierces through my back.

We discussed in an earlier blog that we had an attorney offer to meet with us at no cost to review our case going up on appeal. We met with this attorney for an hour or so showing him documents and going over the details of our case. He had rushed us in within less than 24 hours, asking us to bring everything we had.

The meeting started with comments such as "Whether you decide to go with me or someone else..." and "If I represent you then I would need to...."  Then all of the sudden towards the end of our meeting after reviewing our documents and discussing the issues he tells us "I can't take your case..."

He didn't suggest we don't have a case, on the contrary he felt we had a strong case. However, he couldn't take the case for some undisclosed reason but was committed to helping us locate an attorney who would.

On the way home my husband and I were kind of shaking our heads. "What just happened?" We couldn't figure out why he would rush us in with the intent to represent us, only to suddenly "not be available."

We determined during our meeting that he knew defense counsel involved in our case; but after further investigation, it not only appears that he knows them, but is a shareholder in their law firm.

He recently emailed me on August 12th. The entire email contents read:

"Just wondering whether you found someone to file an appeal for you. 

Hope all is well."

After receiving his email I called him and shared, in tears, that we were unable to find an appellate attorney and being foreclosed on September 6th. His response was a lukewarm "You'll be fine." And that was that.

This man professed to be our brother in Christ, and we thought he was reaching out in kindness, offering to help us because of the wrong we had suffered. Without getting into the details; suffice to say our focus began being diverted after our meeting with this individual and it's all beginning to make sense now. He's not the first individual to befriend us only to suddenly fade into the horizon after an information gathering expedition; after which we come to find an uncomfortable link to an individual(s) connected with the defense side of our case.

I decided to see if there were any additional links to others involved with our case and much to my heartbreaking surprise, I discovered that this professing brother in Christ has also been serving on a local Board of Directors for with our Judge since 2005.

Why would he not disclose this to us? Moreover, why would he make a point to state that he was not familiar with the Parker County Judicial system, stating that he had never tried a case in their courts? I guess the fact that he has served for years on a local board with our judge slipped his mind!
(Board of Directors~Listing?)

We never did receive an attorney referral from him for our appeal.

OUR STORY Part 52: TRUST~A PERPLEXING PARADOX

Over the past three and a half years my husband and I have found ourselves struggling with the progressive decline in our predisposed nature of believing the best in others unless proved otherwise. We have always made an effort to treat others honestly and ethically; just as we would want them to treat us. We felt our lives were pretty balanced with regard to this area and our dealings with others.

It is still very difficult for us to understand how those involved in our real estate fraud could knowingly do so with the likelihood of their actions leaving us damaged both financially and emotionally; and without one ounce of conviction, proceed to blatantly lie throughout the entire process of civil litigation.

Last night I was lying in bed talking with Mike about all we have gone through when this paradox just crossed my mind.

Me: "You know, it's such a perplexing paradox."
Mike: "What's that honey?"
Me: "Well, defense counsel attacked us for putting too much trust in our professional realtor. They inferred that we should have approached her with more caution, expecting that she may very well be capable of cheating us; and because we didn't treat her suspiciously from the get go it was just as much our fault if fraud did in fact occur!"
Mike: "Yeah, I remember that!"
Me: "Well, in essence they are saying we should have treated our realtor as 'guilty' from the onset; yet, their very careers are based on a judicial system that expects a jury to treat their client as 'innocent' until proven guilty. Again, I can only say ... what a perplexing paradox!"
Mike: "Hmm...that's a good point!"

Well, the jury ultimately did find her and her brokerage firm guilty of knowingly committing statutory fraud and negligence against us. And although we failed to collect the financial damages awarded to us due to an error on the jury charge, the economic devastation would turn out to be the least of our problems. We now find ourselves having difficulty believing that anyone truly cares for another human being without some underlying agenda or self-serving interest. It's like this uncomfortable shield has been engaged and we have been robbed of the freedom we once enjoyed in embracing our fellow man with an expectation of truth and trust.

And this goes much deeper with regard to those professing to be Christian. Our realtor was a professed Christian as was the couple selling us the house. This profession of Christianity was the underlying reason we had so much confidence in the purchase of our home. Moreover, our realtor and I connected on the common ground of being victims of domestic abuse, adding another layer of trust to our relationship.

Literally hundreds of emails were produced by us during discovery that would tell a story of more than just a house being sold, but of a friendship being developed. These emails were rolled into the courtroom in large bankers boxes. Conversely, no emails were ever made available by our realtor. Perhaps this is because of the lack of disclosure, or perhaps because these emails showed the depth of personal communication between her and me.  Apparently they were lost along with any hard copy files or faxes. Our emails showed the exchange of personal photos and conversation from both directions.

I can still remember praying with her on the phone one day when she expressed she was having a busy week and very fatigued. Then there were those plans to get together and be shown around by she and her husband; dinner at Julio's, her broker's cutting horse competition, and a BBQ at her place to meet the chickens and see the cat fish pond. We really connected; or so I thought.

“False witnesses did rise up; they laid to my charge things that I knew not.
They rewarded me evil for good to the spoiling of my soul.

But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth: I humbled my soul with fasting; and my prayer returned into mine own bosom.

I behaved myself as though he had been my friend or brother: I bowed down heavily, as one that mourneth for his mother.

But in mine adversity they rejoiced, and gathered themselves together: yea, the abjects gathered themselves together against me, and I knew it not; they did tear me, and ceased not:

With hypocritical mockers in feasts, they gnashed upon me with their teeth.
Lord, how long wilt thou look on? rescue my soul from their destructions, my darling from the lions.” 
Psalm 35:11-17

Although the layers of deception began being peeled away before our depositions; it was only during my deposition that I would find out how involved our realtor was with the fraud instigated by the seller's realtors. Approximately a couple of hours into my depo, an email was slid across the table by defense counsel representing the sellers' realtors. I was asked to read the email and then questioned as to whether I had ever seen the email before. I had not, and was never copied on the email thread.


When I saw the email I looked over at our realtor who gave a great big snarly look with her lips pursed, eye brow raised. Wow, this was my sister in Christ?

The email contents were from our realtor to the sellers' realtors following the first flood determination that was withheld from my husband and me. The first flood determination accurately put our house in the flood zone. As a result, the mortgage broker went to our realtor who in turn went to the seller's realtors asking for anything they had that would contradict the flood determination and/or pull the house back out of the flood zone. Of course the seller's realtors already knew they had a problem. Remember, the house has been in the flood zone since 1998 via FEMA.

At that point we had no idea how involved our realtor had been in the fraud; and when I read the email I felt such betrayal that I immediately broke down crying. We had to break from the depo so that I could have time to get my composure back.

Something hardens inside when you're betrayed. It's like an automatic defense mechanism that engages to protect you from future hurt. I don't want to feel this way and ask God to keep my heart pure and soft; to help me maintain a pliable heart of compassion and love for others.

I'm sure there are those who thought our law suit was about anger or exacting vengeance; or that we hoped to yield some absurd inflated payday; but they would be wrong, so very wrong.

One thing I can say about my husband and me is that by the grace of God we have maintained a commitment to keep our motives and hearts aright and to pray for these individuals who wronged us throughout this entire time. Moreover, we have always remained open and welcome to a reasonable settlement sufficient to remedy our loss and move forward. No such offer has been made, not even one close to that of recovering our life savings paid out as the initial down payment.

We have always greeted defense counsel with respect and a smile; Mike extending his hand for a hand shake and small talk. We understand their role as attorneys, and although we haven't liked their legal strategy and tactics, we have never wished evil upon them. In fact, we have regularly lifted lead counsel for the sellers' realtors up in prayer over his battle with cancer.

In September 2010 when we saw the seller at court we were very gracious, smiled and said hello. We just don't want hatred in our lives or the poison of bitterness and unforgiveness to seep into our hearts and take root.

Even now after losing everything Mike and I have purposed in our hearts to hand all of these individuals over into God's fair and righteous judgment; praying that they will repent of their wrongdoing before that fateful day when we all stand before Him to account for those deeds done in the flesh.

Please don't get me wrong, I don't claim that we have sprouted wings and a halo. The battle to remain faithful through this ordeal and to put a guard over our hearts, thoughts and mouths, has been very painful and intense at times.

As directed in the word, we used the judicial system to pursue justice, exhausting every avenue available to us to remedy the wrong done to us. But, apparently God has not chosen this time or means to heal our injuries or execute wrath against those whose sins caused our injury. All will be set strait in God's time; "Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right!"

OUR STORY Part 41: SUFFERINGS, NOTHING NEW FOR THE BELIEVER!

"I am weary with my groaning; all the night make I my bed to swim; I water my couch with my tears. Mine eye is consumed because of grief; it waxeth old because of all mine enemies. Depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity; for the LORD hath heard the voice of my weeping. The LORD hath heard my supplication; the LORD will receive my prayer." Psalm 6:6-9

As of late my husband and I have been facing the urgency in need of divine intervention by way of provision and wisdom. There have been times in which our hearts have wanted to faint; the flesh crouching at the doorway just lurking and waiting for us to find some rationale or excuse for reverting back to the old man or the world as our source in lieu of staying the course of faith and confidence in our loving and sovereign God.

The truth of the matter is that victory against our enemies may not be witnessed while we still remain in these temporal bodies. Several years ago God led me to Psalm 73 and I just sobbed, finding such fellowship in the sufferings expressed through Asaph's writings as he grieved over the presumed injustice in the prospering of evil. 

"When I thought to know this, it was too painful for me; Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end." Psalm 73:16-17

It was then that the Holy Spirit began to tear away the root of doctrinal error that had been embedded in my heart for so many years; an erroneous doctrine that completely discards a call to sufferings and New Testament truth that reveals tribulations as being designed for purposes of separating the wheat from the tares; preparing the saints for eternity.

I remember fellowshipping with a brother a few months back when he spoke; "I pray for a miracle sister, I pray a miracle of God's grace for you and your husband to be able to endure whatever His sovereign will is for your lives." No binding of the devil or claiming that the windows of heaven open wide pouring out gold coins upon our heads. He prayed the most necessary prayer of faith that we be filled with the riches of God's grace and endurance to finish this race.

Some wrong doers may receive their deserved punishment here; but for the most part many will appear to flourish in their sin, accumulating wealth and power at the very expense of the elect of God. Their just reward will not go unpunished however. When all is said and done, their sins will result in the final judgment of eternal separation from God.

We should never fret ourselves with concern over the timing or manner in which the ungodly receive their punishment, supposing that they are getting away with perpetrating evil against the saints. We have only but to put our trust in God and to obey His commands for our lives.

"Who is he that saith, and it cometh to pass, when the Lord commandeth it not? Out of the mouth of the most High proceedeth not evil and good? Wherefore doth a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins? Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the LORD." Lamentations 3:37-40

I personally believe that the matter of "presumed injustice" is a major part of the overall testings designed by God for the purpose of trying and purifying the heart and motives of His saints in preparation for the coming of Jesus Christ. Upon His return, those who have stood fast in their faith shall receive the fulfillment of God's promise of Eternal Salvation.

“Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry.” Hebrews 10:35-37

If my husband and I were to look at our situation and circumstances right now through the eyes of our old carnal nature, our hearts would have fainted a thousand times over; feeling as though evil has prevailed, God has abandoned us, and that man and this world are our only reliable source. But fainting is not an option when you have come thus far.

“For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.” Hebrews 6:4-6

“Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.” Hebrews 10:38-39

There's a lot of bad news circulating the globe these days, and the hearts of professing Christians are being gripped with anxiety, hopelessness and desperation. Yet I am reminded that there is nothing new under the sun, nothing! The evil present today existed upon the earth from as far back as the original sin of man in the Garden of Eden.

Aside from our country's idolatrous obsession with the recreational worship of an increasingly violent, sexually explicit and morally desensitizing entertainment industry; our high tech capabilities have become far reaching in our ability to report the salacious details of gruesome violent crime, gossip and fear mongering through television, radio, Internet and print media.

The noise is loud, often debilitating, and virtually impossible for us to avoid since it resounds through visual and audio mediums just about everywhere we go. Television screens in stores, banks, restaurants. You can't purchase a dozen eggs without having soft porn images (the hand bra pose being the latest acceptable fad) and titillating headlines assaulting you at the check out counter of your local grocery store. News feed has us all doomed to starvation, unemployment, crime, and natural disasters. It preaches fear while robbing what little hope the lukewarm believer might have. It also sends a message of salvation and hope through some iconic political figure rather than God.

"Men's hearts failing them for fear, 

and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: 

for the powers of heaven shall be shaken."

Luke 21:26

My husband and I have been walking through the fiery trials since the onset of our call to separation from the world about six years ago; beginning a journey of spiritual liberation from bondage to old habits, carnal relationships, fallacious doctrinal beliefs, lusts, and covetousness. The diluted message of modern religion teaches that Christ does this all for us and that all we need to do is pray a prayer of salvation and then coast on. Although Jesus did once and for all pay the price for our sins, we cannot embark on this journey of separation from the old man without the empowerment of the Holy Spirit and a decision to align our will with Gods. It involves our willingness to take up our cross and to follow after Christ Jesus, walking as He walked (I John 2:6) in obedience to our Heavenly Father.

"For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ,
not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;
Having the same conflict which ye saw in me, 

and now hear to be in me."
Philippians 1:29-30

When my husband and I responded to the call to separation, we were filled with excitement, encouraged at the scriptures relating to God's long-suffering and forgiveness of our past sins (Psalm 103), including the facade of a pseudo Christian lifestyle we had lived for over 25 years.

Yes, this journey appeared to be backed with all the doctrinal assurance that we were going to hold hands and skip down the cobble stone road of joy, prosperity and the power of the Holy Spirit.

Modern day prosperity prophets will tell you that the devil is the source behind all of your trials, and that we are to immediately rebuke Satan and to claim; no, to "demand" God's promises and blessings be ours. And despite the examples provided for us of the Israelites complaining in the wilderness; the new humanistic approach to Christianity now affords us a scriptural basis for excusing our sins and feeling sorry for ourselves in the midst of trials.

Nonetheless, Scripture and examples of those mighty men called of God to greatness throughout the bible show us a deeper truth of the divine refining element of trials used throughout the sanctification process in the lives of God's saints.

"Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus 

shall suffer persecution." 

II Timothy 3:12

"My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; 

Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. 

But let patience have her perfect work, 

that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing"

James 1:2-4

The joy we are assured by God is not one based on temporal earthly treasures and pleasures, but rather that which is found in the empowering of the Holy Spirit as we walk in obedience to God; along with the joy and peace found through understanding that our ultimate reward awaits us when we abide in the Eternal presence of our loving Heavenly Father. 

John 15:1-11 (read all)

"I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love. These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full." (excerpt)

The Scriptures tell us that the today has enough cares in itself. (Matthew 6:34) The anxious activity observed in the over communication of negative and fear based information added to this steals away the hope and faith of too many professing Christians. We are to abide in His word and meditate on it "day and night" (Psalm 1).

Remember brethren, we serve a just and faithful God who can not lie!

"Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all." Psalm 34:19