A budding Artist

What do think of the new look of my couches?

You can click on the picture if you really want to appreciate the design.

The funny thing is, I really don't care. I know that sounds bad, but let me explain. Every purchase we make for the house is a thought out one. We usually plan. We have never had a credit card. So, everything we have, we save for. I have been married for almost 13 years and just bought my first set of dishes last year (thanks to a generous gift card from my sister-in-law) Thanks Leah. I'm not the type to buy clothes unless they are deeply discounted. Again thanks to Leah, my children had clothes for the first 6 years. She worked at Gap and was constantly blessing our family. We have been mostly broke our whole marriage- the kind of poor that we used to look at each other and say, "do you want mustard w/ your bread or ketchup? Our life has dramatically changed in the last few years, thank you Lord! I think if he would have blessed us with what he has back then, it would have been a disaster. We learned to be grateful, to rely on Him, how to stretch a dollar with kids, ride public transportation, paint house numbers on curbs so we could eat, be content without matching dishes, wear what we found at Salvation Army, eat what we had (which at times was nothing), use cloth diapers(out of necessity), live in a town (Los Angeles) that valued possessions and looks above all else, and still be okay. We gave all we could, we were good stewards of what we had. Today for us is different. I can buy what I need at the grocery store, go out to eat, afford haircuts, buy new dishes, cloth my kids, choose to use disposable diapers if I want, build a skate park in my yard to reach out to kids, etc.... For the most part we are still good stewards of our money. One look at us and most people would never think, "Wow, that couple owns a growing business with 45 employees, pays out over $200,000 in salaries a month." We drive cars that get us from A to B, live in a beautiful but ( modest house considering what other people might choose) dress in deep discounted and yes, sometimes hand me down clothes. Instead most of our money goes to the wonderful people that works for us, (I hope one day to pay them even more) Our ministry we are starting, our church, travel(my passion) and various charities. No, I'm not trying to pat myself on the back. I'm simply stating, God has given us great dreams, not filled with new cars and big houses, it's filled with people. People we love from our office manager, graphic team, photographers, unknown "skate punks", orphans in Africa, foster kids in America, the lady at Walmart that the clerk just told her card was declined, our family, and people that we pray God puts in our path for His purpose. Anyway, back to the couches. They were our first non thought out purchase, we bought them just because we liked them. They cost more than anything else we have bought. From the moment we brought them home, we had buyers remorse, they broke after the first month and now our youngest decided to decorate. It's funny, I know this sounds weird, but the I'm glad they're gone. It's a great reminder of God's control in our life- possessions are nothing, his love is eternal. We knew right after we bought them, it was a mistake.

So if anyone knows how to clean them, I sure would love to give them to a family. I don't want to give them away wrecked. They need to look awesome. I want them to look better than new and be a blessing to a family.

I really hesitated even posting this. Sometimes written words can get lost in translation. I pray you read this as my heart intended. I am not trying to brag. God just laid upon my heart to share. I know with the Christmas season approaching, I am guilty of the busyness of it all. What's the best gift for him/her, decorating, getting things just right. We all have the best intentions, we mean well, we are truly trying to give. But what about our heart? Some Christmas's we simply had "nothing to give" But there was no guilt. No," I wish we could do this or that." We gave of our heart, that was all we had. (grandparents provided everything else). I guess, I'm just trying to remind myself that NOTHING can take the place of God's gift to us. So, if your in a position to do "nothing for people" this year, then DO SOMETHING. If it's volunteering somewhere, giving what you have, or praying for God's peace. And if you have something to give, then give it! If it's money, time or simply your love then give it freely. Nothing truly belongs to us. As we enter this, "holiday season" then I pray may we enter it as servants. Servants for the Lord.