Atmospheres

Have you ever left a bright and clear room and walked into the bathroom right after someone has taken a shower? Steam is everywhere, the mirror is fogged up, and it's hard to navigate your way around. This is how we've been feeling lately. I believe we may have just walked into an "atmosphere" that was unlike the one we just left.

Cities all have their own atmospheres. Even non-believers can "feel" the difference from one city to the next. Some cities feel warm and friendly, others feel chaotic and confusing. Abu Peak, our little piece of paradise in Auberry, was bright and cheery. We had spent a lot of time hosting God's presence there, and there seemed to be where He loved to rest. I feel like we were privileged to be a part of opening a port-hole to heaven that God seems to be keeping open for generations to come.

Tallahassee is a beautiful city. The hills, trees and lakes are like something you'd see at Disney World. People are friendly and history is everywhere. We knew this was where God was directing us, but everything seemed different here. Work quickly became frustrating for Jeff. I began to get sick and have terrible allergic reactions to things like biting-flies. The ranch still wasn't selling and we were quickly running low on the resources needed to keep up the payments. We knew we did not leave God behind in California (since Jesus lives in us and we are filled with the Holy Spirit), but we were having a difficult time hearing from Him or seeing His protection and provision. I believe we may have just stepped into a foggy atmosphere.

A few weeks back, I received a call from a young mother in southern California. She shared her life and dreams with me and let me know that her family was interested in Abu Peak Ranch. Yesterday, they made an offer and today we enter into escrow. Something about their offer was strange. It was the amount they were offering. The amount ended in $1,110. Our realtor brought it to our attention and mentioned that it was intentional on their part. She said the number 111 had to do with one of my blogs. I had absolutely no recollection of having written anything about that number, so I had to go back and see what that was all about. I believe this was all part of the "fog" I feel I've been under lately. Just living with the inability to see what should be right in front of me. On my blog, dated January 21 of this year, I had written about seeing the number 111 a lot and referred to Psalm 111. I wrote about the heart ache of losing an offer on the house, but I also noted the following verse...

Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not yet seen (Hebrews 11:1).

This young family, connecting very well to heaven and all the promises stored up there, was helping me to cut through the fog I was experiencing in my own life. God chose to use them and the very place I had been wounded to bring clarification to all that He is and all that He is doing. He was showing me that He is still there. The wound could now be healed and He was turning me back on, like a fan in a foggy bathroom, to take authority over the atmosphere I had come under here. Tallahassee is a beautiful town and it deserves to be "seen".  Great things are in store for this area. I'm happy we get to be part of it and I'm so excited for the new family who gets to take Abu Peak to the next level.