BLESSINGS

God's Providence
       I want to thank God for His Providence and guidance in our lives. The Lord has provided for our family in numerous ways.
       1. God provided a job for me for the past seven years that has paid enough to allow my wife to stay home and take care of our children. This is no small thing in today's economy.
       2.  God has allowed Tina to do some part-time jobs in teaching and tutoring around the kids' schedule.
       3.  God's given Tina a gift of being able to save our family a LOT of money through coupons and other store incentives. It helps the paycheck a lot when a very gifted wife is able to stretch it.
       4.  God has brought many people, especially the past two years, into our lives that have been such an encouragement and blessing to us in so many ways.

Education Pays!!!
       My wife and I completed our master's degrees a few years ago but for various reasons my wife has stayed home with the kids. A couple years ago we put our children into a charter school, which we love, and now our youngest is in kindergarten. Tina's been volunteering there in the kids' classroom but at the end of last year they were pushing her to get a substitute teaching certificate for this upcoming school year.
       Education pays because she already had the education she needed to do the paperwork (fingerprint card, background check, application, etc.) and she was able to submit and receive her certificate that allows her to substitute teach. It took months to come in but she got it this week and the school is excited and has already put her to work and has scheduled for a couple more days next week.
       Tina's very excited and all the teachers there are telling her that they are going to request her if they ever need a substitute teacher for their class.

Our Church
       We have been at our new church for over two years now. I LOVE IT !!! I'm excited to go to church every Sunday. The love of God is evident among the believers. They love God, each other, and helping not only those in the church but also those in the community. There is a major focus on relationships with God, each other, and the community. There's no condemnation and guilt but an encouragement to listen to God, to obey, and let God have the preeminence in your life. The conviction comes from the Holy Spirit, not the man on stage laying on a guilt trip.