Franklin Family Journey: April 2008

Dear faithful friends,
We appreciate all of you and know that you are praying for us and concerned for our future. We are still in Florida, staying at the home of my parents. Patrick’s back is feeling better and stronger, but he has finally come to the realization that he can no longer rely on his back to provide for our family. This has been a hard thing to accept, but it is accepted. With that realization, I have come to understand “Why Delaware?”

As you know, we have been seeking to do the Lord’s will and waiting on some word as to what to do next. Here is what I realized recently about the Lord and how he speaks to us, if we listen…

Everyday our computer is playing www.reachfm.org in the office. Patrick is usually in there listening while he’s working at the computer and I am in the dining room with the kids doing our school work. One day, I went in there to make copies of stuff for school and I stopped to listen to the sermon that was playing. The preacher was Tullian Tchividijian from Ft. Lauderdale. He was preaching on Knowing God’s Will. I jotted down a few random notes and I would like to share them with you here:
- People make mistakes and poor choices, but none catch God by surprise or are out of His will for our lives.
- Look at the lives of Jacob, David and Peter
- Jacob tricked and stole his brother’s birthright (even though God had said that God planned to give it to Jacob).
- David committed adultery and murder
- Peter denied Christ three times
- He didn't mention Abraham, but I thought I’d insert him here. He lied twice that Sarah was his sister (although she really was his half sister) because of lack of faith. And let’s not forget that whole Hagar incident. Because of that one instance of lack of faith we have the Arab nation. But God uses them (the Arab Nation) for correction (Habakkuk 1:6) “For behold, I am raising up the Chaldeans, that fierce and impetuous people who march throughout the earth to seize dwelling places which are not theirs.”
- God makes our mistakes a part of His perfect will for our lives. There is NO Plan B. God does not follow after us with a pooper scooper, cleaning up our messes saying, “What am I going to do with these unruly children. Now I have to make a new plan for their lives so everything works out.”

It is that stuff that is so hard to comprehend with our small minds. You know, like, “Can God create a rock too big for Him to pick up?” We can’t say, “Well, I’m going to live in sin or make poor choices because later God can use this for His glory.” Or “I can’t help this sin, after all this was God’s plan for my life.” But at the same time, He is not surprised by the choices we make. He knows everything we are going to do before we are born, but gives us the freewill to choose. I don’t begin to understand it all.

Another point he made, and I hope I can relate, is that God does not sit up in heaven and decide to throw us a bone every now and then. He reveals to us His will for our lives through his Word. Through the Bible, we have more of God’s revelation today than any other time in history. (this is me, not from the sermon —>) Think about it, God spoke audibly to Abraham. He told him that he would be the father of a great nation. Abraham was in his 80’s when God made this promise to him. Sarah was in her 70’s. When Abraham was 99, Ishmael was 13 and Sarah had still not had the child promised by God. Over 13 years! But God was faithful and fulfilled His promise, in His appointed time (Hamoadim).

God will not tell us who to marry, where to live or what job to take. He reveals in His Word what kind of mate to seek, what kind of environment we should be surrounded by (remember where Lot chose to live? - not a good choice I’d say), how to treat others in business and our personal lives as husbands and wives. God still speaks to us, just not necessarily in an audible way.

Part two of Knowing God’s Will was quite interesting as well.
- There is a secret will of God that we know only after it happens (Deuteronomy 29:29). This is our COMFORT.
- God’s revealed will is in the Bible. It is our GUIDE. It is God’s will that we obey the Ten Commandments. That we love HIM with all of our heart, mind, soul and body and that we love others as we love ourselves. Be patient, kind, not envy, boast or be proud… I think you get the point.
- We want a formula - God wants a RELATIONSHIP!
- If you want to know God’s will, you need to be a Bible person
- God’s REVEALED WILL - it is not evil or hurtful
- God’s SOVEREIGN WILL - God works all of our pain for our good into a beautiful tapestry
- God always does right

This sermon series really gave me comfort as we seek His will for us. Whatever we do, as long as we desire to please and serve Him, He will take care of us and bless us. It made me realize that if we hadn’t sold our house and moved to Delaware, Patrick would be working 6-7 days a week with a bad back or going without work and not able to pay our bills. God provided for this time with the move that to all accounts seemed to be a mistake. But there are no mistakes with God.

With this in mind, we have begun to follow the original leading to own an RV park. If that is truly God’s will for our lives, then doors will be opened. If not, then other doors will be opened. We are searching the Internet and also have two realtors in two different regions searching for us. Please be in prayer for us as we seek out where we are to go. If that is what we are to do, it will be out there and we will find it.

Here is what we are praying specifically for in a park:
- located in a home school friendly state
- within close proximity of a Shriners Hospital
- at least 10 acres (hopefully more, we would like to facilitate local churches and a small ministry of our own, so would probably need more room to grow)
- enough sites to pay the bills
- a good location so people will be able to find us
- an owner’s home
- possibly some creative financing (we found out most are wanting 30% down payment – YIKES!!!)

If you all will join with us in prayer, we would very much appreciate it.

I usually take painstaking care to arrange our pictures in precise order and end up spending three hours posting on our blog. No wonder I don't post more often ; ) I say this to explain that today I just sat down and started uploading pictures. The end result is a random, hodgepodge of activities. I hope you don't mind that we will be traveling back and forth thru time on this post.

The first set of pictures are of our latest "pet" - Heimlich the caterpillar. One day Daniel and Emilie went for a little walk together to pick flowers for me. We put them in a bottle in the kitchen window sill. The next day we noticed on one of the stems was a little worm. We allowed him to stay and decided to observe him. He was less than an inch long and very thin. One day he was missing all day (he had fallen off his stem and he was so small, it was hard to find him). As time passed, we began to notice that he was getting longer and fatter. We placed him in a jar with rocks and flower stems sticking up through the holes in the top. He was quite fun to watch as he moved about in his new habitat and GREW!!! Then one day, he started to be still and shrink. We figured he would make a cocoon, but he just looked like a hard shell and did not attach to any of the stems. We were afraid he had died because we had not provided the proper habitat. We placed his shell in a butterfly habitat and there he stayed for a few weeks. We felt kind of silly keeping a "dead bug." Then one morning we found a moth flitting about in the netting ; ) It was really neat.

Heimlich

Heimlich's empty shell

Just before he formed his shell. He was HUGE!

Heimlich the moth

Letting him go

Uncle Hans Discher (Mr. Discher's brother) gave Daniel a few plants. Daniel and Daddy transplanted them in my parents compost/garden area. Daniel is faithful to water them. He loves to sit in a chair and just watch them grow. Thank you Uncle Hans.