A Brief History and
Testimonial of God’s Miracle of 3420 Silver Lane.
In May 1983 we moved into
the dream home we built on Golden Lake at 21% interest rate. Two years later
Jim was unemployed for the second time and we thought we’d lose the house.
In 1997, Jim bought Roscoe
sales agency from his partner Bob and Jim and I had a little business we had
dreamed of owning. Through some business reversals we decided to move the
office into the lower level of our Golden Lake home. We changed the name to
Sales Team but kept struggling to keep it afloat.
Jim worked with a Life Coach
for help in selling Sales Team. A creative idea emerged as Jim worked with Joe
to merge Sales Team into Gift Street in 2006. I was hired to continue doing
many of the same tasks I had done at Sales Team. The merger entailed Jim
becoming the sales manager for Gift Street with a small commissioned sales
territory. After two years Joe needed to downsize the business and Jim was no
longer the sales manager but was given a larger sales territory. The debt just
kept dogging Jim until he decided to declare bankruptcy in 2010.
I was laid off from Gift
Street December 2008 three months after my open heart surgery. It took me two
years to find my current job at Christos Center for Spiritual Formation. This
was a great addition of finances for our situation. Friends, Dan and Judy, helped
us find a good used car to replace the ailing Honda and I had reliable wheels
once again.
I enjoyed developing the
gardens at our Golden Lake home and never thought that I would leave there. I
thought instead that I would hire help and continue to live there well past
retirement. Two summers ago, I came in from working on the steep back hill with
my body screaming at me to stop this nonsense. I cried out to God saying I
can’t do this anymore. Immediately, I sensed God saying it was time to move. My
response was a mixture of relief and a strong sense of fear that given our debt
and the bankruptcy would make it impossible. We considered renting. Jim talked
to our banker and determined that he could qualify for a mortgage despite
bankruptcy.
We hired a realtor
recommended by a neighbor. That was a godsend that got us in touch with a sharp
mortgage broker who told Jim what mortgage amount we could qualify for and then
we started looking at townhomes. We spent last year downsizing: filling the
recycle bucket again and again; giving items away to charity or from the end of
the driveway; hauling old electrical stuff to Best Buy’s free recycling
program; selling items on Craigslist; tossing the junk. This spring we hope to
hook up with anyone who wants to do a garage sale with all our leftover garden
and yard tools.
As we looked at townhomes we
began to realize that we needed a space larger than a typical bedroom to house
Jim’s office equipment. Still when we kept coming back to the Silver Lane
house, vacant, it seemed too large for us. In fact, I was led of God to pray a
Prayer of Relinquishment over the house. I prayed that in earnest not knowing
how God would bless us. I kept saying up to the day of closing that I will not
believe it is mine until I have the key and garage door remote in my hand.
Despite those reservations I
believed that God wanted us to move and I left the final address up to him. All
the while we continued to sort, clean out, give away and pack up the Golden
Lake home. One mortgage company denied us because the bankruptcy was too
recent. We went through all the paperwork again for a second attempt. This
whole process of applying for a mortgage was not an easy time emotionally for
Jim. He had to slog back through all the bankruptcy mess and answer questions.
We wanted to be done with that. We wanted God to redeem all of that mess.
Well friends, redemption is
happening. Even with selling Golden Lake “as is” for the new owner to remodel
how they want, we received a good price enabling us to pay off some debt, with
money left over for our own remodeling dreams at 3420 Silver Lane. We will have
less cash outlay each month. And Jim has a big room for his office; he is
enjoying having everything close at hand so that he can continue to grow his
business. We feel a sense of financial freedom for the first time in many, many
years.
Deuteronomy
6:10-12 The
Message (MSG) “When GOD, your God,
ushers you into the land he promised through your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and
Jacob to give you, you’re going to walk into large, bustling cities you didn’t
build, well-furnished houses you didn’t buy, come upon wells you didn’t dig,
vine-yards and olive orchards you didn’t plant. When you take it all in and
settle down, pleased and content, make sure you don’t forget how you got
there—GOD
brought
you out of slavery in Egypt.”
Celebrate
with us God’s faithfulness as we dedicate this home for God’s glory.
A friend read this blessing at
our home dedication:
Blessing for a New Home
May this house shelter your
life.
When you come in home here,
May all the weight of the
world
Fall from your shoulders.
May your heart be tranquil
here,
Blessed by peace the world
cannot give.
May this home be a fortunate
place,
Where the graces your life
desires
Always find the pathway to
your door.
May nothing destructive
Ever cross your threshold.
May this be a safe place
Full of understanding and
acceptance,
Where you can be as you are,
Without the need of any mask
Of pretense or image.
May this home be a place of
discovery,
Where the possibilities that
sleep
In the clay of your soul can
emerge
To deepen and refine your
vision
For all that is yet to come
to birth.
May it be a house of courage,
Where healing and growth are
loved,
Where dignity and forgiveness
prevail;
A home where patience of
spirit is prized,
And the sight of the
destination is never lost
Though the journey be
difficult and slow.
May there be great delight
around this hearth.
May it be a house of welcome
For the broken and
diminished.
May you have the eyes to see
That no visitor arrives
without a gift
And no guest leaves without a
blessing.
[Adapted from To Bless the
Space Between Us by John O’Donohue]
It was a wonderful afternoon of
celebrating God’s goodness with dear friends who have journeyed alongside us
through all of the highs and lows. To God be the glory for the great things he
has done!
How have
you experienced God’s blessing over the course of your life? Celebrate what God
has done!
Photos from the Dedication:
Photos from the Dedication:
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