Postcards and Prayers

Thanks for your prayers for my brother-in-law Rob. He came home from the hospital today. I ask for continued prayers for his recovery.

Today the printer finally delivered the 30,000 postcards that we will be mailing to residences in targeted areas around our Habitat service area. It was quite a delivery. I don't think I've ever seen that many boxes of postcards before. I'm grateful for the delivery guy who wheeled them in and unloaded the cart. I'm going to start printing the labels next week. Our Volunteer Coordinator is working on recruiting volunteers to stick on all the labels. We estimate it will be at least a two day project. I have a feeling labeling postcards is going to be in my future. I continue to ask for your prayers for this big outreach to families living in poverty and substandard housing in the TriState region.

On Sunday afternoon, I'm attending a donor cultivation event in Oxford, Ohio for TriState Habitat for Humanity. It will be a chance for people to see the first house that we are building in our twenty home subdivision in Oxford. Two of our Habitat Partner Families will be present to meet people and thank them for their support. I ask for your prayers for this event. It's the first event like this we've done since I've been at TriState Habitat. I am hoping it will be a blessing for those who attend and for TriState Habitat for Humanity.

Beyond the event on Sunday, I don't have much planned for the weekend. I think I'm going to just relax and take it easy. I'm sure Netflix will be a part of the weekend. I hope you have a great weekend. Thanks for being a part of my journey!

Prayer Request

I ask for your prayers for my brother-in-law Rob. He has been in the hospital for the past few days. He hit his head and is in a lot of pain but is steadily getting better. Hopefully he will be able to come home tomorrow. Please also pray for my sister Stacey as she deals with all of this. My parents are back in town after a very quick trip to Indiana and they are helping with my nephew Cameron.
Thank you for your prayers and for being a part of my journey!

Waiting on the Printer

I continue to ask for your prayers for my family recruitment efforts with TriState Habitat for Humanity. We are getting ready to do a big push. Right now I'm waiting on the printer to print and deliver about 30,000 postcards that we will be mailing out. This is by far the largest bulk mailing I've ever done. I can't begin to imagine how I'm going to get the thing to the post office. I am also awaiting approval from the school administration of the Hamilton City School District. We plan to send a family recruitment flyer home with every student in the district. That will be about 8,000 flyers. There are other areas that I want to target and other ideas I want to try for family recruitment but I really want to see what the response will be after these mailings. When we sent the last big mailing to several apartment complexes in Butler County, Ohio, we got a really good response. We will see what happens with this next round.
So, right now, I'm just waiting on the printer. Then we will have volunteers in the office to slap mailing labels on like there's no tomorrow. Then, somehow, I will get all these postcards to the post office. Then, hopefully, the phones in our office will be ringing off the hook. That's my hope and plan. I will let you know how it goes.
Thanks for your prayers and for being a part of my journey!

TGIF

Thank you God for Friday. Thank you for the end of a work week. Thank you for the privilege of having a job when so many people in America are unemployed. Thank you for having a job that brings me joy and that brings honor to your name. Thank you for work that makes a difference in people's lives.
I know that there are some days, even some days this past week, when I felt like I was just spinning my wheels. I wondered if I was really making a difference. It feels like there is so much more need out there than I or Habitat are able to address. There are so many people in TriState Habitat for Humanity's service area who will sleep tonight in some deplorable conditions. It honestly overwhelms me at times God.
Remind me that I am not Superman and my job is not to rescue everyone. You already sent a Savior to the world. My job is to trust in Him and in your unending grace. My job is to use the gifts that you have given me to serve families living in poverty in the best way that I can.
Thank you also God for a week that marked a milestone in my parents' marriage. It's hard to believe that they have been married for 47 years. When half of all marriages end in divorce, their love and relationship has endured. I'm grateful for the example of the love that my parents have displayed and lived out in their lives.
God, help me to find rest and renewal this weekend. I feel like I need to recharge my batteries. I want enjoy Sabbath time and also some play time. I hope to enjoy this wonderful region to which you have led me in some way. I don't know exactly what that means yet, but I trust that you will guide me.
God, most of all, thank you for your love that remains steadfast. You have led me to this place at this time and it has blessed me beyond anything I could have imagined. I am enjoying my work. I'm a part of one of the most gifted teams with which I've ever worked. I attend a church that inspires me and serves the city in some truly amazing ways. I have a family and friends who love me. I am filled with humble gratitude for your faithfulness in the midst of my life.
Thank you God for Friday and every day that are all gifts from you. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Feeling Lonely

I'm feeling kind of lonely tonight. I'm not sure what's going on with me. Sometimes it just hits me. I wonder if it's a bit of depression setting in. I got to thinking about friends who live far away. I also was thinking about fun times I had with those friends in the past. I miss being with those friends. I also miss having friends who will spontaneously jump in the car and meet me for ice cream late at night. I haven't developed those kinds of friendships yet.
It's always hard for me to make new friends when I move to a new community. I think it's one of the curses of being an introvert. It just takes longer for me to build friendships than it does for extroverts. I know it will happen but I get impatient. I know getting involved in a small group at my church will help. I also know that just being in the community longer will help me to connect with people. Right now, it's just hard.
The good news is that I know God has some wonderful people out there whose paths I have yet to cross. So, I use times like this evening when I'm feeling kind of lonely to pray for those friends whom I haven't met yet. I pray that God will connect us soon. I also pray that God will allow us to be blessed by one another's companionship in wonderful and lasting ways. I also give God thanks for friends past, present, and future. Thanks for being a part of my journey!

A New Home

I was really tired last night and could hardly keep my eyes open when I wrote my brief blog post. It was a long day at the end of a long week. This has been an amazingly busy time for me in my work with Habitat. We have been preparing for three closings. Yesterday was the first of the three. These are always cause for much celebration but also there is a lot of last minute stuff to do and this can be a real source of stress.
Right before I fell asleep last night, I thought about the couple that just closed on their house yesterday. They have six boys and they have been living in a two bedroom home with one bathroom. I cannot begin to imagine what that has been like for them. I tried to imagine what last night in their new home must have been like for this family. I'm sure there they were tired from moving all of their stuff. I'm sure the boys had a hard time settling down for the night as they adjusted to their new bedrooms. I'm sure there was laughter and excitment. However, I'm guessing that there was also a huge sense of peace that settled over this family as they slept in their new safe, decent, affordable home built with love.
Just before I lost consciousness for the night, I said a prayer of thanksgiving for this work to which God has called me. I can't begin to tell you how much it feeds my soul and helps give purpose and meaning to my life. It is really not a job. It is ministry in the best sense of the word. This doesn't mean that there are not difficult days. This does not mean that I don't struggle and feel stressed. However, what I do know with every fiber of my being is that this is where I am supposed to be at this point in my journey.
I don't know what God has in store for me in the future. I'm doing my best to live in this moment as I take big gulps of the grace that God provides for me every day. I feel joy like never before. I feel contentment and peace. I feel grateful for the honor of being able to serve the poor through the mission and ministry of Habitat for Humanity.
With this latest home now completed, I can't wait to move forward with the next application, the next construction project, and the next closing. The process begins again and again as new families seek to live out their dream and move from substandard housing and become home owners.
I hope you are having a great weekend. Thanks for being a part of my journey!

Reaching Out to More Families

I continue to ask for your prayers for our recruitment efforts at TriState Habitat for Humanity. I am really feeling some pressure as grant deadlines approach. I also am trying hard to think outside the box when it comes to family recruitment. I know families are out there, I need to meet them where they are. I'm hoping God will give me the wisdom to find them.
We just sent out another direct mailing to people living in Middletown, Ohio. Middletown has had an active group of Habitat volunteers for many years and has built many houses. The challenge is that Middletown is a typical Midwestern city that is in decline. The population of Middletown has decreased 5.6% in past decade. Once home to a lot of industry, many jobs have left Middletown for the sunbelt or other countries. According to the 2010 US Census, 12.6% of the city's population live in poverty.
There is definite need in Middletown, it's just finding families who are willing to do what it takes to become Habitat Partner Families. I am really hoping that this mailing (targeted to renters in the urban center of Middletown) will reach some families who are willing to take the risk to make their dreams come true.
Tomorrow, I will get to witness one family's dream come true. We have a closing for a family whose new home is located in Batavia, Ohio. I am really looking forward to it.
It's late and I need to get to bed. Thanks for your prayers and for being a part of my journey!

Two New Families

Today I had the great honor of telling two families that they have been approved as Habitat Partner Families. I love making these calls. The emotions are always so varied. Some people get really excited and whoop and yell. Other people start crying. Others are just quietly grateful.
I have the honor to be the person who first gets to tell them the good news. I congratulate them and then tell them that now the hard work of partnership begins. They will have to complete 500 sweat equity hours. They will have to attend required classes. They will fill out tons of forms. They will have to recruit others to help them build their homes.
This is really the fun part of my job. It's so wonderful to hear the varied reactions and to be able to offer hope to people who have been rejected and denied so many times before. It's the beginning of a whole new part of their lives. Habitat will walk with them and support them, but they still have to do all of the hard work themselves.
I ask for your prayers for these two new Habitat Partner Families. They have a challenging road ahead of them. It will test their patience. Hopefully, the process will also cause them to change old patterns of behavior and thinking. Most of all, I hope that God will work in their hearts as they work along side volunteers and staff who want to see them succeed. This is a day of new beginnings. It's a day that will launch their path towards becoming home owners of safe, decent, affordable homes.
Thank you for your prayers and for being a part of my journey!

News Blackout

Yesterday was another quiet day for me. It was probably too quiet. I ended up taking a long nap and then had trouble getting to sleep last night. I finally fell asleep around 1:30 AM. This was a huge problem for me when my alarm went off at 5:30 this morning so that I could meet my friend Karen to walk. I was a real zombie this morning.
I decided yesterday that I was not going to sit in front of the television yesterday watching all all of the ten year anniversary September 11 coverage. I watched little bit when I first got up in the morning and then listened to coverage on NPR on my drive to and from church. But besides that, I didn't watch much of it at all. I decided to put myself under a news blackout. It's not because I didn't think it was important to remember that horrible day in American history. It was more a way for me to say, as I did in my post yesterday, that life goes on.
I remember I was glued to the television back in 2001. I saw the image of the planes flying into the World Trade Center towers so many times, I felt numb. I heard all of the stories of survivors and all of the stories of family members of victims. I read everything I could in the news and online. Along with this, I was given the extra responsibility of trying to preach sermons in response to the terrorist attacks.
When I look back on those days and weeks following September 11, 2001, I realize that it was only by the grace of God that I was able to move through days. And this is also how I wanted to focus my heart on the tenth anniversary. I wanted to pause and give thanks for God's amazing grace in my life and along my journey since that time.
My pastor said it this way in his sermon on Sunday:

I like the way Julian of Norwich put it. Julian of Norwich lived in the fourteenth century during the Black Plague. Every day was 9/11 for her. But she had great hope that grew out of her faith as she faced the depths of the trials of her day. She wrote these lines: But all shall be well, And all shall be well, And all manner of things shall be well…He did not say, “You shall know no storms, no travails, no disease,” He said, “You shall not be overcome.”

Wow. What power. God did not say, “You shall have no storms.” God did not say, “You shall have no terrorists, you shall have no fires, you shall have no death.” God said, “You shall not be overcome.” All shall be well.
On this day, are the promises and protection of God enough for us? Are we able to say “All shall be well?” We may have to say it with a tear in our eyes. We may have to say it with a lump in our throats. We may have say to it with clenched fists. But in that whisper is eternity itself.
God’s faithful promises are our armor. Hope is in the enduring memory of God’s protection.
When the final 9/11 television special signs off for the evening, the last analysis has been offered, the last commentary spoken, and the last editorial written, I can think of no more beautiful eulogy than to say: But all shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well…He did not say, “You shall know no storms, no travails, no disease,” He said, “You shall not be overcome.”

So, yesterday I napped and rested trusting that all shall be well and all shall be well and all manner of things shall be well.
Thanks for being a part of my journey!

A Walking Advertisement

I stopped a local restaurant this evening on my way home from work to get some dinner. As I sat down at my table, a woman sitting at a table nearby said, "There's someone from Habitat." I wondered how she knew I was with Habitat for Humanity and then I realized I was wearing a shirt with the TriState Habitat for Humanity logo on it. Duh!
Anyway, I went over to the table and the woman introduced herself and her husband who was sitting with her to me. I introduced myself. We then talked for several minutes and I discovered that this couple volunteers with the Cincinnati Habitat for Humanity affiliate. They are very active construction volunteers and have been volunteering with Habitat for a number of years. In fact, they met for the first time as a single people on a Habitat job site and are now married.
After our conversation, I went back to my table and said a prayer of thanksgiving for running into these two dedicated Habitat volunteers. I was so glad that I was wearing my shirt. I am proud to be a walking advertisement for Habitat. I am passionate about our mission and the work that we do. I want the world to know the difference that Habitat is making in the TriState region, the United States, and around the world. I am so proud to be able to represent Habitat and to be able to connect with others who share my passion for bringing an end to poverty housing in the world.
I also got to thinking about how I am not always the best walking advertisement for my faith. I don't always represent Christ to the world in the most positive manner. I only need to look to my morning commute to recognize this. I am too often filled with road rage and certainly don't offer much grace to the drivers around me who I am convinced are all on the road driving stupidly just to make me mad.
I also am not the best ambassador for Christ when I remain silent in the face of the injustice I see in life. I often times would rather just not make any waves rather than stand up for what I know to be right in God's eyes. I take the easy way out by often people are led to believe that I accept the injustice that is taking place because I am silent.
So, tonight I'm giving God thanks for the opportunity I had to be a witness for the mission of Habitat. I am also praying that God will give me the courage and peace to be a more faithful witness for Jesus in the world.
Thanks for being a part of my journey!

Discipline

For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.

- 2 Timothy 1:7, NIV

Discipline. This is one of the things that often seems to be lacking in my life. I have times when I get really focused and can be disciplined on a specific thing, but sooner or later, I seem to slip back into old patterns that are undisciplined and even harmful to me.
This is certainly true when it comes to my physical health. I have so many times started diets and not stayed with them. I have started exercise programs and have not stayed with them. I have tried to watch my eating and tried to live a more healthy lifestyle and in the end I fail miserably at this.
I also feel that I lack discpline in my work life. I try to be more organized and plan ahead better. What usually ends up happening is that I procrastinate and run around feeling anxious and overwhelmed. I have attended workshops to help me deal with clutter on my desk and how to use my time better. I do well for a while and then it gets out of control. Right now, I have the beginnings of an unruly nest of papers that need to be filed. I fear that it soon will become a tall stack of stuff that will fill my desk.
I also feel like I lack much discipline in my spiritual life. I try to grow in my prayer life and add new ways of experiencing God. I may stick with them for a while and then I either lose interest or the will to stick with them. I seem to lack a kind of inner discipline even when it comes to the most importation relationship in my life.
The good news is that God is a God of grace and new beginnings. Every time I fall off the diet wagon, stack papers up to the ceiling on my desk, or don't take the time to nurture my relationship with God, God is still there to love me. God helps me start again. God renews my strength and reminds me that all things are possible through Christ Who strengthens me. God loves me where I am empowers me to grow in love and discipline in life and faith. Thanks be to God!

Thanks for being a part of my journey!

Interesting Meeting

I had a very interesting meeting this morning. The Habitat Executive Director, our Mortgage Services staff member, and I  traveled to the city of Hamilton, OH this morning for a meeting with the staff of LifeSpan. LifeSpan offers personal financial planning, credit consolidation, pre-purchase homebuyer education, and a lot of other services in Butler County, Ohio and beyond.
We already have a good partnership with LifeSpan. They offer free credit counseling to our home ownership program applicants. The purpose of today's meeting was to learn about how we might better serve our home owners who have been struggling to keep up with their mortgage payments. As you might guess, when the recession hit, many of our home owners were some of the first impacted. Many have had their hours cut back and some have lost jobs. Along with this, because our families are always struggling to make ends meet, whenever the price of gas or food or other every day expenses increase, they struggle even more.
I find it infuriating that so many of the Wall Street folks who helped get us into this mess in the first place walked away with huge bonuses and everyone else, especially the poor, got the shaft. But I digress. Maybe I should save those thoughts for another blog posting. Anyway, it looks like there are some very helpful things that LifeSpan can do for some of our families who are really struggling to keep up with their mortgage payments.
One of the topics that we discussed quite a bit in the meeting is our whole philosophy and approach to working with home owners. One of the LifeSpan staff members laid it out pretty well. She said that we can either be our home owners' friend or we can be their creditor but we can't be both. I think she hit the nail right on the head. We build relationships with our families over time as we partner with them to build their homes. We know their family stories. We know their struggles. We know their financial history. And while knowing all of that is helpful information, sometimes this means that we still think of our home owners only as people who still need our help. This makes it really difficult to hold them accountable when we need to.
This is not to say that we coddle our families. We do our best to hold them accountable to the agreements in their mortgage documents. We do indeed foreclose on families who stop making their payments. We take this very seriously and understand that families can't live in their houses for free. We also understand that our donors and volunteers expect us hold families accountable and empower them to be succesful home owners.
It's a real balancing act. I always like to err on the side of grace if possible. However, I also understand that if I really want to give families a hand up out of poverty, I can help but they need to do the heavy lifting.
So, I'm giving God thanks for the opportunity we had this morning to meet with the folks from LifeSpan. It's a great organization and I am grateful for the partnership Habitat has with them. I am also grateful for the ways in which LifeSpan educates and empowers families to take control of their personal finances.
I hope you will join me in praying for our Habitat home owners and all people who are stuggling during this uncertain economic time.
Thanks for your prayers and thanks for being a part of my journey!

More Like You

More like you, Jesus, more like you
Fill my heart with your desire
to make me more like you.

- More Like You, Scott Wesley Brown

We sang this song today in worship. We have sung it before. It's just a simple praise chorus but for some reason it really hit my heart today. I felt as if God was trying to speak to me on a deeper level through this song. As I sang the words, I found myself in a very focused prayerful state of being. I almost didn't want it to end because I felt like I was connecting with God in a very intimate way as I sang my praise to my Creator.
Now that I think about it, this is really a scary prayer to pray. Because if I'm really serious about becoming more like Jesus then I've got to really get rid of a bunch of baggage. I need to be able to love more deeply and forgive more readily. I need to be willing to do what God wants in my life and not what I want. I need to be willing to walk difficult paths and trust in God to guide me.
I'm definitely not there yet. I've made some progress but for every step forward it seems that I take about three steps backward. I ask God to make me more loving and then God always seems to put people in my path who I find it difficult to love. I ask God to give me more peace and then God seems to allow the storms of my life to flare up and I become consumed by stress and worry. I desire to be more holy so that others may look upon my life as an example and then I say or do something that is far from holy. The truth is, I mess up because I am messed up by the human condition of sin.
While it would be tempting to just throw up my hands and forget it all and wallow in my sin. I know that is not the life God wants for me. So, I boldly and humbling continue to pray "More like you, Jesus, more like you." And each time I pray this prayer, God works in some new way in my heart. God moves me to do something I wouldn't normally do. God reveals to me something that I had not seen before. God shows me again the path of holy living and promises to walk with me.
So, tonight I'm giving God thanks for this moment of prayer, song, and praise to the One Who calls me by name. I'm giving thanks to Jesus who leads me and sometimes carries me when I don't have the strength to make the journey on my own. I'm filled with gratitude for my loving God Who molds me and shapes me into a new creation. I'm blessed by a Savior who calls me to follow him and be more like him every day.
Thanks for being a part of my journey!

The Tudors

I've been watching the Showtime series The Tudors through my Netflix subscription. It's been an enjoyable series to watch for me. I love history and have always been fascinated by the Tudors. They certainly put the fun in dysfunctional. This family is so messed up that I think Jerry Springer would think twice before putting them on his show.
Henry VIII was a narcissistic sex addict. At least that's the way this series portrays him. He went into fits of rage that seem to indicate a kind of bi-polar mental disorder. In this later years he was very sick and paranoid. He bent the interpretation of Scripture to his whim and will and took the whole country with him. He changed the world and the church by embracing Protestant ideas but seemed to be motivated by the most selfish of reasons. He was obsessed with fathering a male heir to the throne and in many ways treated his daughters and wives like dirt.
In some ways, The Tudors feels more like a soap opera. I think if someone told me the story, I would think that he or she was making it up. It's unbelievable in so many ways and yet it all really happened. It is the story of the corruption of absolute power. Henry VIII and his family turned England, the church, and the world upside down and in some ways we still live with that legacy today.

I hope you will continue to join me in praying for the East Coast as Irene causes so much damage and impacts so many lives.
Thanks for your prayers and for being a part of my journey.

The Approaching Storm

I invite you to join me in praying for all of those impacted by hurricane Irene. It looks like this is going to be a huge storm that affects millions of people. Please pray for safety for everyone as well as encouragement for those who will be trying to pick up the pieces after the storm has passed.
Thank you for your prayers and for being a part of my journey!

Prayer Request

Thanks for your prayers for the home visit I did today. It went well. I always enjoy meeting applicants and hearing their stories.
I have another prayer request. TriState Habitat for Humanity has a huge need for construction site leaders. These are volunteers who oversee each house construction project. They organize and plan for each project. They help order materials and keep the construction process moving forward. They teach, encourage, and support volunteers as they go about their various tasks. They communicate with our Partner Families regarding the construction process.
Site leaders need to have at least some basic construction knowledge, be willing to be trained, have a lot of patience, and have good people skills. This is not for the faint hearted. It is a challenging volunteer position with a lot of responsibilities. It takes a very special person to be a site leader.
With all of this said, I am confident that just the right people are out there. The challenge is we need to find them and invite them to take a leap of faith and join the ministry of TriState Habitat for Humanity.
If we don't get more people to serve as site leaders, we are not going to be able to increase our capacity to serve more families. Right now, there are parts of our service area in which families are going to have to wait nearly two years before we will even start their homes simply because we don't have enough site leaders. They will have to continue living in substandard conditions simply because of a lack of leadership.
So, there it is. Scripture tells us that we have not because we ask not. Well, I'm asking you to join me in asking God to help us to help families. Please pray that God will send site leaders our way and that we will be able to continue to expand the good and faithful work of TriState Habitat for Humanity.
Thank you for your prayers and for being a part of my journey!

Home Visit Tomorrow

I ask for your prayers for a home visit I'm doing tomorrow in the city of Oxford, Ohio. Home visits are the way in which Habitat for Humanity verifies that a family is currently living in substandard conditions. This is always an extremely humbling experience for me. I will be doing a walk through and explaining the Habitat program to the family.
Please pray that I will be objective and observant. Please pray that I will be a good listener. Please also pray for this family as they live from day to day in some pretty awful living conditions.
Thank you for your prayers and for being a part of my journey!

Wall Raising Tomorrow

I am really excited that we have another wall raising service tomorrow for a new Habitat house that we are starting. This house is being built for a family in my current hometown of Hamilton, Ohio. The Mayor of Hamilton will be present for the wall raising service along with some other community leaders. I think it will be a great day of celebration. It's been a while since we finished the last house in Hamilton so I'm glad we are getting started with this house.
This family has waited for a long time to finally see this day come. I know it will be a blessing as the first walls are raised by volunteers to help another family in need move from substandard housing to a safe, decent, affordable home. It will be a true celebration.
I ask for your prayers for this new build and for this Partner Family. I've been with Habitat long enough to realize that nothing ever goes smoothly in construction. There will be delays and set backs and disappointments as we move forward. The family will want it to go faster than it is going. There will be challenges along the way that will test every one's patience. Please pray that the family will experience God's peace during this time of waiting. Please also pray for the safety of our volunteers and staff. Please also pray that God will help this build to be a positive witness to the mission and ministry of Habitat for Humanity in Hamilton and beyond.
Thank you for your prayers and for being a part of my journey!

Prayer Request

I have a prayer request. We are getting very close to closing on three Habitat homes. The houses are pretty much done with a few punch list items that need to be taken care of. We are waiting for final inspections on two of them. We also have to collect some additional paperwork hear back from a grant agency on one of them.
This is a time that is filled with so much anticipation for these three families. It is also filled with a lot of anxiety. They all want to be in their new homes tomorrow. They are ready to move. They want to get settled in. They want to get out of their current substandard living conditions. The hard part is they have to wait.
As much as I would love to hand the keys over to them today, we are just not quite there yet. We can see the finish line but we aren't there yet.
So, I ask for your prayers for these three Habitat Partner Families. Please pray that they will be patient. Please pray that they will experience God's peace as they wait. Please pray that we get everything done as quickly as possible so that they can realize their dream of home ownership.
Thank you for your prayers and for being a part of my journey!

A Wonderful Evening of Writing

I just got back home from the gathering of writers. It was a reunion of folks who were in my writing class and I also invited my former boss from Habitat to join us. We had the most wonderful evening. One of the people in the group hosted us in his home. His wife treated us to a delicious dinner. I felt like I was in heaven - good food, laughter, and writing. It really doesn't get much better than that for me.
It looks like we are going to try to get together once a month. We are going to share what we've written and get feedback. I am glad to have this as a part of life. I think it will really help me to be more disciplined in my writing. Tonight really got me excited again about my novel. Hopefully I will get back in the groove.
Well, it's an early day for me tomorow so I think I'm headed to bed. Thanks for being a part of my journey!

P.S. - Thanks for your continued prayers for our family recruitment efforts at Habitat. In the past two days, we received seven more new applications. I am so excited!