Finally!

After much hoop-jumping, paper-faxing, document-signing, phone-call-making, driving-and-driving, paperwork-doing, praying... we're closing on our new home today! Oh, you should have heard our great sighs of relief when, last week, we pulled into the driveway to take care of some stuff and saw this:



Our new house has been christened by Iain The Rock House. His reason is that the back yard (or jungle, if you want to be accurate) has a little part that is fenced in, right off the deck. It holds an odd little shelter and a hot tub (which we are not keeping), and the ground is covered in wonderful small ROCKS! When he and Cory saw that, they decided they like that house. When we asked Iain what he thought, he said he wanted to live there. Okay then, we will.

I think it's a cool name, also, because of Matthew 7:24-27 (which, un-coincidentally, was the passage I read this morning - the day we close on the Rock House):

Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.

We are very, very aware that this house does not belong to us, but to the Lord, and that it is His to do with as He chooses. We are also very aware that He gave this house, this specific house, into our keeping, to bless us, and so we could use it to bless others. And we will do that, by His grace.

We wanted a large house, big enough to fit our future family into, with room for Jeremy to work at home, and room for guests, including people who might need to stay a while. We wanted the bedroom spaces to be fairly small, and the living spaces big, so that everyone who lives or stays at the Rock House would be encouraged to "do life" together, rather than to isolate themselves in their private space. We wanted a large backyard for the boys (and future children) to have room to run and play and be outdoors. We wanted enough room in the living/dining/kitchen area to be able to have lots of people over. We wanted to be in a good, established, family-friendly neighborhood (and I really wanted trees everywhere!). We wanted to be near our new church. And in the Rock House, God gave us all of this. And it was a foreclosure, which means a really good price and a mortgage we have a good chance of paying off completely (another of our long-term goals).

God is good!

Come visit us at the Rock House!

Stay tuned for lots of chaos as we pack up the Middle House, move to the Rock House, and fix it up. It does need some work. But that will make for some pretty cool before and after shots.

And really, come visit us. We have room!

“Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, and you are exalted as head above all. Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all. And now we thank you, our God, and praise your glorious name.”
(1Chronicles 29:11-13 ESV)