Spare Change

So this week many Kentucky state employees learned of the Governors plan to furlough all state employees for a total of 6 days over the course of the following fiscal year.  Like many other states, Kentucky is facing severe budget issues which are requiring difficult decisions to be made.  One thing you will learn from reading this blog is that I am NOT very political, nor do I have any desire to enter into a discussions regarding such.  I am probably considered to be pretty conservative by those around me, but I believe in the simplest form that if our country had a real “fear of God,” our leaders would make much different decisions.

Enough of all that.  Anyways, the decision to furlough has sparked quite the debate around the office and local water fountains!  Everyone understands that our state has a problem, but let’s face it, nobody wants to lose money!  Regardless, over the course of the past two days, I have really sat back and spent some time thanking God for his provision.  His faithfulness.  And for my job.

Can a furlough be confirmation?

I know this sounds weird, but in some ways, this weeks news of a furlough has reaffirmed to me that God has a distinct plan for our family.  All we have to do is take the next obedient step and follow.  The last nine months of our lives have been pretty unorthodox and some of the decisions we have made have been questioned by those around us, but we believe we are totally connected to God’s desires for our life.

Nine months ago Tara and I sold our first home.  We had big plans to buy or build our next home.  One which we thought might be ours for a long, long time.  We had prayed about the sale of our home and honestly we sold our house without really trying.  $45 dollars and a yard sign later, we were moving into the basement of my parents house.  All FOUR OF US!  We just knew God had something incredible waiting for us….

Over the course of the next 5 months or so, Tara and I looked at several houses, bid on a couple auctions, and even stalked potential home sellers.  We continued to pray and we just believed that God was going to provide us with a “dream” house and at a dream price.  But things didn’t seem to be going as smoothly as we wanted.  Banks bought back houses, real estate wasn’t coming down, and quite frankly we never found that house that felt right.  We became impatient.  We began to worry.  We even became frustrated.  Sometimes with God.  We felt like we had made the right decisions with our money.  We had lived simply and without debt.  IT WAS TIME FOR OUR REWARD.

So we went and bought it.  118 Sandlewood.  2 Acres.  Beautiful lot with a great view.  We got a fair price, one that probably looks like a decent investment, but it was more than we had planned for.  Nevertheless, we found plans for our new home, had them drafted and soon we were sitting in front of builders as they priced this reward.  We were excited and although it was just outside our budgeted plan, we had decided to place our faith in God to make up the difference.  Or we would just send Tara back to work…..

Then I went on a business trip and I picked up a book called Crazy Love by Francis Chan.  I had heard Francis speak at a Passion conference a couple years ago and loved how he taught God’s word.  Our church had conducted a bible study surrounding the book and I had heard some pretty cool testimonies out of it.  I was curious.  So I started reading.

“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’  ”The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’

(Matthew 25:37-40)

Then I began to question myself.  Was I “doing to the least of these?”  Was my life becoming lukewarm?  Was I placing myself and my desires above the Kingdom of God?  I wanted to say no, but the more I read and the more I listened the more I knew that I was not being as obedient as God was calling me to be.  His reward wasn’t 118 Sandlewood.  The Cracraft’s needed to refocus.

Enter 1207 Pradero Drive.  All 1300 square feet of her.  Bank Owned.  Up for slient auction.  Pretty cheap.  So we visit it.  It is small, but the bones look good.  We could fix this and that.  The mortgage would be nice and small.  Maybe we could keep both the house and lot?  God is this your plan? 

Tara and I prayed over our bid.  Was it the right amount?  I know my flesh wanted to lose the bid.  I even talked Tara into lowering it once.  But on Friday May 7th 2010 the Cracraft’s had bought a house!  Sure it is older.  It doesn’t have that basement we wanted.  Or a garage?  Or 2 acres.  But it is a reward from God.  One that puts our family in a solid place to serve “the least of these.”  For me to afford to go to Honduras.  For Tara to stay home and serve our family.  For us to meet needs of those around us.

The bible tells us to not “store up our treasures for heaven.”  Do I think folks with big houses are doing that?  NO WAY.  Was Bo?  YOU BET.  Was I impatient.  Yes.  Was I frustrated.  YES.  Did God have a plan?  YES.

And so we meet on Monday.  Furlough is for 6 days.  Unpaid.  Thank you God that I don’t have a big house, with a big mortgage.  You know me better than anyone else.  Thank you for being faithful even when I wasn’t always…..