Thursday, January 5, 2012

Eagle's Nest Update


I haven't been keeping a running summary of the goings on with my previously homeless house guests.  Partly because it seemed rude to talk about people who are living with you, and partly because I didn't know what was going on! 


D+B came to live with me back in September. God was so clearly speaking to me to take them in. The day I met them He spoke to me from from Isaiah 58, "...to take the homeless poor into your house..."  I knew it was Him, and He led me every step of the way while they were here.  


There's a wonderful confidence you have when you are only doing what the Lord has said to do.  There's no question about it being His work and His will. So, when strugggles came up I could pray in confidence, "God, this is your work, intervene and bring your will to pass!"  And when times were chaotic to those looking in, I could speak with confidence.  "This is what God started and is sustaining. This is God's doing."  I never had a will in this.  I was watching what God was doing, seeking His will in it, and praying for it to be done in my house as it is in Heaven.


We were all going to church every Sunday, and God's Spirit was so rich and present on those days.  Worship was especially sweet, and I knew D+B were experiencing something new and good.  They didn't necessarily know it, but God's Spirit was working His way into their hearts.  This had an interesting effect.


D, who was what you might call an angry drunk, continued drinking and being angry and mean.  As the weeks went by,  God's Spirit was reaching him. After one service he said, "I almost couldn't stop from singing in church today." He was actually happy that day.  Three days later, he was drunk again and said he couldn't take it anymore and he wanted to leave.  I believe he was being confronted with the love of God and was rejecting it.  At his request, I drove him to an exit on I-40 where he chose to live in the woods. 


B, on the other hand, came downstairs every morning before I left for work and we'd sit on the porch, talk a little, and I'd pray over her life.  She opened her heart to the Lord and welcomed the light of His goodness into her life.  At one point she said, "I feel like my life has actually started over."    She began experiencing restoration in her family, was reading the Bible, and was receiving more and more from the Lord every day.  And the thing is, she could not stop smiling.  Within three weeks of D leaving, B had a job interview, got the job, and started getting lots of hours.  She was getting love and support from women at church and she was thriving.  


But then, after about 6 weeks, D showed back up in the neighborhood.  He was living in the dog park at the end of the block, and sleeping in the men's urinal.   He badgered her with phone calls and texts (like 40/ day) and made her feel guilty for leaving him out in the cold (where he chose to live!!).  She said she just couldn't stand it anymore.  On Christmas eve, she took her minimum wage, 30 hrs/week paycheck and moved out to a weekly hotel room with him.  


I wrote to a friend:
What I know is God rescued them both off the street and gave them hope. D rejected that. B received it. Their lives could not be more different because of that one decision. God's favor is all over B's life with a job and friends and prayers over her every day.  D lives in a dog park and sleeps in a urinal. This is not God's plan for B's life.


I prayed:
God! Intervene again on your daughter B's behalf!  Deliver her from this manipulation, this deception. This is not Your will as it is in Heaven! Bring Your will O God!


This time, it seemed God was not going to intervene.  B had been manipulated into a false sense of guilt, and she made a life changing decision.  She left the house God provided, and, for the moment, they are living in a weekly hotel room.  You might wonder if she can afford this with her paycheck. No, she cannot.


*****************************************************


On the last day of 2011, I felt that God closed this chapter in our lives together.  I can only commit them both to the Lord's care... they've always been in His care.  This weekend, I'll be praying through all the events of the last three months with D+B. There is so much.  I will probably share those thoughts here in the days to come.







1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the update, Billy. There IS so much to pray through and think about. He took them, and you, on a journey over the past 3 months! May this be a sweet time of revelation for all!