Weekly Overview
Here is a basic breakdown of what happened over the last week:
Monday
We found out that Bethel was interested in getting baptized. (We discuss in more detail in the podcast.)
Than has been going to a men’s group for the last 2 weeks that starts at 6pm. This throws off what we have been doing with our Monday nights (including podcasting), so we are adjusting accordingly. It has been really good for him, so we are committing to make it happen.
We recorded a 45 minute video podcast only to find out that the file was corrupted. It was very discouraging. We then recorded again only to have another technical issue.
Tuesday
Dreza and the kids went to bi-weekly playdate that happens every other week. The kids had a great time, but it went a little long. Than ended up missing class that day due to the delay. We are still adjusting apparently.
During the afternoon Than left the house to work on school assignments (he had an assignment due Wednesday morning at 8am) and got back home right before dinner. After dinner we went to our marriage workshop and the kids went to “kid’s church.”
During our marriage workshop we learned about seeing each other through God’s eyes. It was really good. (We talk about this more in the podcast.)
When we got home, we recorded again only to have issues with a different software. We just decided to take a break until the next evening.
Wednesday
Dreza and the kids had homeschool co-op on Wednesday, so they dropped Than off at his morning class. They headed over to co-op where they had a great time
.
Than’s sole Wednesday class right now is called Revival Group. This is a class where the students get to talk about life and have assignments that have to do with their spiritual journey. For this week, Than’s assignment was to pray through/come up with a personal manifesto. It was very vulnerable, but also very rewarding. After he shared the other students had an opportunity to pray for him and what God had shown him.
Part of joining the co-op is that you agree to clean the facilities after it is over once a semester with another family. This week was our turn. This also threw us off our norm a little bit.
On Wednesday evening, we (Than & Andreza) got to sit down and try to record again. We were both frustrated, but were determined to get it done. We had one or two more issues, but finally got it done. 🥳
Thursday
Thursday was spent trying to catch up on things. Dreza had school to do with the kids, Than had class and homework and we were trying to get the podcast out. The delays in addition to the other stresses going on have made everything more challenging.
Things have been a little tight financially and we had a couple of pretty major bills that we didn’t know how we were going to pay. They had to get paid by Friday at the latest or else there were going to be somewhat serious consequences. But right in the nick of time, we received 2 incredible gifts that allowed us to pay the bills. It was unexpected but such a wonderful blessing.
That evening Dreza and Bethel went to a ladies’ worship night at church. They had a great time. Bethel really enjoyed it. She is excited for the next one!
Than was at home with Ezra and thought he might get some homework done - Selah had other ideas. Her ideas usually win right now…
This meant that Than wasn’t able to get school stuff done like he had hoped.
Dreza also got the time wrong - started 30 minutes later than she thought which meant it went 30 minutes later than she thought. This made for a late evening.
Friday
Friday is usually a little more relaxed due to our basic schedule, but we just seemed to have trouble getting into a groove. Selah wasn’t cooperating, school went long… It was just an off day.
The reason this is important to mention is that Than still had school to get done, but finding the time to do it was just tricky. What takes the most time are his acting classes which require in-depth character analysis and memorization. We are still trying to figure this out.
Than was starting to feel a little overwhelmed, and was considering whether he need to work Friday evening and Saturday to catch-up. However, he really felt he wasn’t supposed to.
Also, Friday dinner is Than’s responsibility and he hadn’t figured that out yet. 🤦🏻♂️ He ended up making breakfast tacos because nobody could give him a clear idea of what they wanted.
Saturday
This was our rest day - which was a little hard for Than due to the looming homework. Ever since we have been married we have tried to keep this a priority. It is a faith thing - do we trust God to make up the difference or not?
We ended up going to a pumpkin patch with the kids to meet some friends. We talk about this a little on the podcast, but we had to work through some disappointment. It was great! Although not “fun” it is great to teach our kids lessons that we are learning, too.
The Holy Spirit likes to use our kids to highlight things we do in our heavenly Father. Turns out we can be a little whinny too and miss out on the adventure. He likes to give us opportunities to grow, too. Sometimes we wish He would stop it, though. Dads… 🙄
Sunday
We have started going to the 1pm service and doing our house chores and family meetings in the morning. In the evening, Than takes the kids to church at 6pm. This has been really great for the kids and something he didn’t want to sacrifice.
Given the time-constraints, there wasn’t as much time for Than to catch up on school work Sunday. However, Than had to choose what he was going to prioritize - taking the kids to the evening service or school. He felt like he needed to prioritize church.
The service ended up going almost 4 hours. It was great!
When Than got home he had an email from his teacher telling him class was cancelled. This meant that Than would have time to work on school
The next day Than’s other class was cancelled, too. He had plenty of time to work on the remainder of his homework.
Trusting Our Father
During trying seasons it is very tempting to sacrifice what is truly valuable for what is less valuable. All weekend Than was having to fight the temptation to work on school. We have intentionally set aside Saturday for rest as act of faith, but there were fears and doubts that would creep in. He had to keep laying them down.
This is one of the things we have been learning in the season: to trust our Father is going to take care what we need. That is easy to do if you don’t want to be in control.
It is a little ridiculous to think how often we allow fears, anxieties, troubles, life circumstances, etc., to lure us away from what we know He has for us. This is not the first time we have chosen to rest instead of work, and we have seen each time that trusting Him turns out better! It is almost like He knows what He is doing.
Where it gets squirrelly is when we feel like something can’t wait - as if the world is going to come to a screeching halt if we don’t get this thing done. What if we don’t pay that bill on time? What if Than doesn’t pass this class? What if we don’t get this podcast episode recorded tonight?
We are finding that oftentimes these “What ifs” that we worry about are not nearly as important in hindsight. We barely remember them. And what we do remember are the things that have lasting impact: going to the pumpkin patch, breakfast as a family, time together, the Sunday evening service. And, when we are walking in faithfulness, oftentimes our Father makes up the difference anyway. The truth is that He isn’t worried about it - we probably shouldn’t be either.
Right now we have so many unknowns in our life (we actually have had several new things pop-up that we’ll share next week) but we are learning a deeper level of trust in our Daddy’s provision and care for us. He knows what we need and we can trust Him to provide. It could be a fun time if we would really just trust Him!
When we go places with our kids we love to enjoy the journey with them. However, sometimes they make it way less fun by asking for answers or complaining. We just want to be with them and enjoy the experience! We’re not worried about what they are going to eat or drink, we’ve already planned for that. We just want them to trust us! And when they do it makes the whole experience exciting because the unknowns add to the adventure.
We are learning how true this is on our journey with our heavenly Father. He’s got us and He’s got good things in store. We just need to make sure we are trusting in Him and enjoy being with Him on the journey. We want to simply enjoy the ride!
Closing Thoughts
It is a little unnerving to stop and think about how much we don’t control in our life. Sure, there are wise decisions and good planning, but sometimes life just happens. In those moments we find where we actually place our hope. It is humbling when we discover our breaking point. But the exposure of the weakness is a mercy - it allows us to see that we are not as strong as we thought.
This last month exposed places in our hearts where we do not trust our Father as much as we thought we did. When the fire comes it burns away everything that is worthless; when the waves come, they remove anything that is not bolted to a strong foundation. This month tested us and exposed things in us we didn't know were there. At the same time it showed us what was there!
A common verse that keeps coming up for us is Psalm 23:5: “You prepare a table for me in the presence of my enemies.” Over the last month this phrase has been chasing us: in songs, in sermons, the kid’s memory verses and everywhere we go. For us it has been an invitation to believe that we have been promised provision, security and abundance in the middle of overwhelming circumstances. The verse recognizes the presence of enemies, but it also reminds us that our Shepherd is leading us to good things - we just have to remain with Him.
We have found that we can have peace without a plan. It is a peace that surpasses understanding.
We have found that we can experience joy with no “certainty.” It turns out that certainty isn’t all that valuable anyway.
One of Than’s favorite writers, Graham Cooke, once said, “In our Father’s kingdom we don’t really fail tests, we just get to take them again!” This is because the point of the test is not to pass it but to learn the lesson.
Our hope is that this testing season is completing the work it is intended to do - we are learning things; we are growing and developing in ways we didn’t know were possible or needed. And as we look back we are seeing that it is good! It turns out God knew something we didn’t and has just wanted to share what He saw with us.
We’ll keep you in the loop and let you know what else He shows us. We’re trying to learn to just enjoy the ride - it is more fun that way…apparently.
Blessings!
With Love,
ThanDreza & Family
