If there's one thing I've learned, it's that sometimes your love seems to go unnoticed... unreturned... and sometimes downright abused. Yes, I love Durham - with all my heart I do! But Durham threw me a curve ball the other night. A couple nights ago my house was broken into and robbed. Thank the good Lord that Leanne and I were not home when it happened. They broke in through the back/basement door. They broke the door frame right off - totally avoiding the quality locks that my Dad made sure were installed the day I bought the house! Apparently the alarm sensor on that door was not working (gee, thanks alarm force!). They got away with around $2000 worth of stuff (computer, PS2, games, guitar, jewelry, CD player, DSL modem, wireless router...). God has faithfully provided love and support for us through our church, and the outpouring of prayer and encouragement has been amazing. The night it happened Leanne called some people from out SummitLIFE group. Within minutes, 2 guys from our group were there and we'd received offers to stay with people that night if need be. The next day (Wednesday) I called Kevin Cates because the door frame had been busted in and it needed to be fixed before we could close the door again. (Kevin is the guy who organized the major home repair day we had here back in April.) An hour later he and Ryan were here checking things out. They ended up not only fixing the door, but also installing a bar across the door to put up when we're not home (it was a back/basement door). The door is probably safer now than before! :) Last night, 12 young professional came over to the house to help us get our home back in order. The robbers had literally destroyed our house on the inside. Almost every drawer or basket or box that could be opened was opened, dumped out, and many times strewn around the room. Last night the YPs came with a cleaning vengeance! They cleaned (the forensics lady had dusted for fingerprints and the black dust was everywhere!), folded clothes, swept, organized, and even rewrapped Christmas presents that had been torn into (but not taken - praise the Lord). They made our home a joyful place again just by being there and cleaning with smiles on their faces! Most importantly, they pointed us back to the Gospel and were there to remind us that we serve a God who is sovereign and whose ways are higher than our ways. They encouraged us, prayed with us, and just plain loved on us! I don't know what we would have done without the Summit. How do people get through these things without a family such as this?? I wish I could get this through to those who think that they don't need, or don't have time for, a Summit Life group. Leanne and I could have never planned for this to happen, but it did. And when it did, our Summit family was right there, ready to do whatever they needed to do. Leanne and I are so thankful to have the support system that we have within not only our small group, but also the Summit in general. We are determined that God will get glory out of this! If it's only letting people around us see the joy and peace we can have even in the midst of this, then so be it. Our God is so much bigger than this! :) Today the alarm people came to check out and repair the alarm system. We also opted for a higher level of security. We have an electrician friend who is working on putting a motion sensor flood light in the back of our house too. In the end, I think our house will be more safe than it was before! So friends, please pray for us and for God's glory to be shown through all of this. Both of us are pretty strong about all of this, but there are definitely jumpy moments when we hear things and notice that we are a little more on edge than we thought we were. There will be moments when it will be easy to let fear get the best of us, and I really covet your prayers in this area! There's not much that's more personal than your home... I keep thinking about the fact that people were here... in my bedroom! I have to make a conscious effort not to let those thoughts get the best of me.
I think it is very interesting that JD's sermon on Sunday covered the topic of fear. The sermon was based off of Psalm 27. The first point JD made was to acknowledge your fears - to realize that bad things might happen. The second point was to use your fears to be a messenger to show what we care most about. The one thing David (the writer of the Psalm) wanted was to see God's face. This is what Leanne and I want - we want to seek and know God more though this. Also, JD made the point that David did not feel victimized, even though in the world's eyes he had the right to! Leanne and I could feel like victims... our home was broken into and valuables were taken. More than the valuables, our sense of security was robbed. But you know what?? The Bible says to consider it pure joy when we face trials of any kind (James 1:2)! So praise the Lord! Hallelujah! Leanne and I truly believe that we are whole heatedly seeking God in our lives right now, and if this is what happens as a result, well then... bring it on!
Well, I need to be getting some sleep. "I lie down and sleep; I wake again because the Lord sustains me." Psalm 3:5
