Huge Huge Huge Huge HUGE News!

Hey everybody! Guess what! I have HUGE news to share today! I think this is the biggest news I’ve had since I got married, and that was in 2006 before I was writing this blog, so that makes this the biggest news I’ve ever shared on this blog! 🙂 Read on, pardner … yee haw!

Here’s the news:

I’ve told you in the past about how I’ve been working a full-time corporate job, plus writing this blog, plus teaching the Word and volunteering massive amounts of time at my church. I’ve been working 70 hours a week for years. It’s gotten to be too much and I knew I wouldn’t be able to sustain it much longer. Something had to give.

And last week … in the space of less than 36 hours …

God freed me from working full-time at my corporate job. Effective today, my company is letting me switch to part-time status, 20 hours per week.

Can you believe it??????

It all happened totally unexpectedly, and only God could have done it. Something happened that caused me to ask my manager at work if part-time work would ever be a possibility, and she bumped it up the chain of command. Word came back that not only were they saying yes, but that this was perfect timing for our department’s needs. (And for mine, of course!) They needed the savings from my salary to use toward hiring another person in another department that was way understaffed.

My husband and I then started working on our budget, to see if we could pay the bills if my paycheck were cut in half.

We slashed and slashed and slashed some more, and … get this:

I rolled out a partnership program a little less than a month and a half ago. I asked you to partner with me financially in the amount of $8 per month to help me become a full-time missionary via this blog and serving at my local church, in intercession and deliverance ministry and so on.

And so far, about 47 of you precious, amazing readers have decided that you are called to help me with this work and have partnered with me. (THANK YOU!!!!!)

(By the way, please go here to read the details about my partnership program, what I’ll be focusing on, what’s in it for you if you partner with me, and how I will be accountable. I still need 953 partners, so don’t hold back, ok?) 😉

So back to the budget conversation. After we were done slashing, this is what we found: my husband’s paycheck, plus half of my paycheck, would not have been enough to pay the bills. Changing to part-time work in my corporate job would not have been a possibility, a month and a half ago.

BUT …

Get this …

Wait for it … 😉

(God is SOO GOOD!!!!!)

My husband’s paycheck, plus half my paycheck, plus YOUR partnerships (!!!) that have already come in ARE just enough to pay the bills!!!!!

Can you believe it??? A month and a half ago, it would not have been possible.

But today, it is possible, through the power of your partnerships and the amazing grace and provision of our Father.

Thank You, Father God!

And there’s more. Get this:

So we’ve had a bunch of things that we needed to fix around the house for years, but we just hadn’t gotten to it. Well, about two months ago, my husband and I suddenly got this sense of urgency that we needed to fix those things now. So we started, and most of them are fixed. We still have some work to do, but the big-ticket items are fixed.

Isn’t that just like God? Because two months ago, we had the cash flow to do what we needed to do. It was in the budget. Today … those big-ticket items are not in the budget. But they don’t need to be, because Papa took care of it! He knew what was coming!

Even down to seemingly-trivial things like my dishes. You know how you might break dishes sometimes, but that doesn’t mean you run out and buy a new set? Well, I’ve had these blue and white dishes that I love since 2002. But we’ve broken some here and there, and I no longer had enough left to have even a service for 8. (I had other random, non-matching dishes, and I don’t mind mixing and matching dishes; but the other dishes I had were totally not mixable.) And, you know, women like things to look pretty when you have company over, which I loooooove to do.

But a couple of months ago, I was in Wal-Mart and saw these gorgeous red dishes from the Pioneer Woman, and they were affordable. Way cheaper than any dishes you’d find in a specialty home-oriented big-box store, actually. And the Lord told me to buy them! So I did; I bought one box and went back a couple weeks later and bought another. So now I have a service for 8 that matches.

We could afford the dishes then. The money was in the budget. And Papa knew that was the time to get them!!!! Can you believe it? I know dishes may sound trivial to some of you. My husband doesn’t give a hoot about whether the dishes match or not. But I care. It’s important to me.

And you know what, beloved? Our Papa always cares about what’s important to us.

Thank You, Abba Father. You are so good.

Oh yeah – one more thing – my husband and I love to travel out West. The red-rocks area of Utah, anything in Colorado, Yellowstone, the Grand Tetons, and many more places like that feed my soul. I mean it. My soul needs the West like my body needs air. I connect with God there. I rest there–deep, soul rest. This Tennessee girl is madly in love with the West, and I have been since I was a kid.

And you know what? Nearly a year ago, we planned, booked, and almost completely paid for a trip to Yellowstone (my happy place) for later this year. Almost a year ago.

So this year, despite the job change, vacation is already taken care of. We still get to go and rest and admire God’s beauty. Because He provided for us, before we knew we had a need. “Before You call, I will answer!”

Thank You, Abba Father. Thank You. I’m overwhelmed.

So. Today is a new day. What am I going to do with my time?

Well …

• For the next few weeks, I’ll be spending most of my time taking care of some things my pastors have asked me to help with for my church.
• I’m also preparing to preach at a special outreach at my church in two weeks; I’m trying to finish preparing that sermon today. I’m preaching a salvation and healing message about Abba Father to women who are currently experiencing homelessness. (Prayers appreciated!) (My pastor invented this outreach years ago. They bus in ladies from the local shelters, pamper them, cut their hair, give manicures and makeup makeovers, job skill classes, clothing and special gifts, wine them and dine them at a very nice banquet, and minister to them in whatever spiritual way they have need. It’s beautiful.)
• I’m also going to take care of my health a bit more;
• Catch up some things on this blog that I haven’t had time to handle; and
• Figure out what my new routine should look like.

After that, we’ll see. I know that I plan to spend more time helping out at my church, I have so many ideas circulating around in my head for this blog. I’m FIRED up. 🙂

So anyway. That’s my huge news. Can you believe it? Isn’t God good?

Anyway. I just had to share. Thank you SO MUCH!!!! for reading, for your love and encouragement, for your prayers, and for your financial partnership that is making this possible. Every person counts. We are in this together. We are the family of God, and together we are spreading His fame and His glory over the whole earth, one person at a time.

I love you bunches. Have a wonderful day!

Jamie