A Love Note to My Eternal Family

Many months have gone into making our home in California buyer ready, before putting it on the market to sell.  We painted the interior and the exterior, rebuilt the back porch, cleaned up the back yard, added plants for beautification, designed and built a herring-bone patterned, wide brick walkway, and lovingly guided 2 jasmine plants grown from the ground up, into a natural entry-way arbor to make it most welcoming to those who enter what is currently our home.  We also decluttered and added fresh flowers in every room inside, making it most welcoming to those who viewed it.  A lot of work went into preparing the way for something that would someday become someone else's.

Landscaping with the Help of Mike Sencenich

Herb Garden Ready for Showing

As I sit here drinking my coffee and preparing myself for the rest of the day, I began thinking about these endeavors.  I began thinking about where my family and I will be going when we move to our new home, who we will be leaving behind, and what will become of us in our recent future.

Flowers Make All Things Pretty

 In all of this, I came to realize something that I have known all along.  Nothing in life stays the same.  Nothing lasts forever.  Nothing is immune to change, except for God.  In the end, nothing in life belongs to you.  When you die, the only thing you take with you is your soul.  Your body eventually goes back to the earth...ashes to ashes and dust to dust.  Your soul might move on, but many family members and friends stay behind, until their journey (in this life) comes to an end, as well.  Most of us in life do not choose when death will come, as we also do not choose our birth.

This is not meant to sound doom and gloom.  As-a-matter-of-fact, it is the opposite.  The Christian belief is that after baptism, the Holy Spirit dwells in you.  Through prayer and petition, one can use the Holy Spirit to guide one's actions "when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth" (John 16:13a) and to make the choices that are in tune with God's will, thus showing up in one's life as the "fruits of the Spirit."  For those who don't know this concept, the Holy Spirit is sort of like a little voice inside your heart and your head that helps keep you on the correct path in life, in accordance to God's will (Galatians 5:22-23: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  Against such things there is no law").  So the Christian is given this promise that the Holy Spirit will indwell in him/her after baptism.  As we make Jesus the Lord of our life and ask for the forgiveness of our sins and are then baptized in His name, God continues to give us many gifts throughout our lifetimes through His love.  And as we love Him back, the "fruits" show up as we walk with Him.  You will see the "fruits" in the life of a Christian who truly follows (or at least STRIVES to walk) in the path of Jesus.  It is a transformation that takes a lifetime.

The Christian believes that God allows people and events in your life to help guide you in these decisions, if you ask for it.  These are the EXTERNAL forces one can recognize. The Holy Spirit is the guide WITHIN you (this gift from God after baptism), that helps you discern what is from God, and what is not.  The Christian will look for others who also have the "fruit of the Spirit" in them, and seek advisors who they can trust.  When one has the "Holy Spirit," their fruits will show it.  This does not make a person perfect, as we are all sinners, but the person who strives to be like Christ will more-than-likely, be working on listening to that "little voice" (the Holy Spirit) that helps them discern right from wrong.  In this, you will see the fruits in their lives.

These people recognize each other by their fruits (as listed above) and by their faith.  We become a family of believers and we find each other all over the world.  God says that these people become the church.  A church is not a building, but a body of believers.  However, many of God's people meet in buildings that we ALSO call a "church."  But a body of believers can meet ANYWHERE where they come together to praise God.  As it says in the Bible,  "For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them" (Matthew 18:20).

Praying Over the Colson Family As They Start a New Journey

So what does any of this have to do with selling a house?  Sorry if it seemed like a tangent for a moment, but it is all related.  There were many factors involved in making our decision to move to another state and sell our home.  Some of them were political, some of them were financial, some of them were social, some environmental and some spiritual.  In these considerations, not all categories rated 100% better in one location over the other.  Using discernment and asking the Holy Spirit for guidance, as well as many advisors and signs we feel God put in our lives, ("The way of a fool seems right to him, but a wise man listens to advice,"  - Proverbs 12:15; "Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisors they succeed" Proverbs 15:22) we were able to make some hard decisions. Our house was on the market for only 4 days, when 2 offers were made. We prayed and asked God if this was right for us.  The timing was perfect.  We prayed some more. After a counteroffer, the offer came back as we had hoped.  It was no more than our asking price, and no less than we needed.  When God wants to shut doors, He shuts them.  This one, however, swung open widely.  We had been given the green light to go.  And even though we were happy that we had been given an offer on our home, this did not occur without some sadness and knowing that soon we will leave family behind.

Most of these family members are not our kin....not our blood.  However, THIS family is a family we would gladly die for.  These people are people who we believe would ALSO lay down their lives for us, as well, if such a sacrifice were needed.  The thing I had to remember while making our decision to move is that "we are not of this world" (John 17:16).  Our true home is with our Father and Creator.  So whether we live in San Diego, Boise, Philadelphia, Germany, Italy or the United States of America, we will not be truly home until we are in the full presence of our Lord.

With that being said, my Lord and God has plans for me.  He also has plans for my family and we must trust where He leads us and guides us.  I am a woman. I am a healer.  I am a mother.  I am a wife.  I am a friend.  I am a daughter, granddaughter, niece, confidant and counselor.  I am a musician,  a lover of nature and all of God's creation.  But most of all, I am just passing through.  And do you know what, my fellow Christian brother's and sisters?  So are you...just passing through.

What gives my heart joy the most is that you are my ETERNAL FAMILY, my friends from First Baptist Church of El Cajon.  When the Garriott's leave San Diego, we will only be saying good-bye for a short time, really.  Our lives will go on in different places, yet we all know that we'll be back together in a place where there is no more suffering and no more pain.  In THIS life, all of you have become our family...and we will continue together into the next.

 

Church Praise Team (Greg and Mark) - Always a Hoot

I remember when I first became a Christian.  I read a scripture in the bible that talked about how the first Christians shared everything and gave away their belongings to help others who had less.  The bible talked about how the first Christians sold property and possessions to give to anyone in need (Acts 2:45).  The bible talked about how they "broke bread" together (ate together) and fellowshipped daily.   I remembered wondering why Christians today were not as it said in the Bible?  Were we too busy?  Too involved in our own lives to get involved in the lives of others?  I was having a hard time finding that kinship among MANY, as the Bible spoke of it.  Sure, I had some Christian friends who I loved and who loved me (thank God for the Wilhoit Family who brought me to Christ and loved me as their own).

From One of the Many Times at the Park "Breaking Bread" and Fellowshipping

But once I came to First Baptist Church, it WAS as it said in the Bible amongst every person I came to know there.  Every color, every shade, different cultures and languages, different socio-economic backgrounds, some with homes and some without--yet we all came together to thank the Lord for our many blessings.  And for those who had/have less, we worked to give more if we could...and helped those find ways to get on their feet again, if they had fallen on hard times.

We did not judge, but loved even those who sometimes seemed unlovable. We truly shared our LIVES with one another and worked to show others the love of Christ who do not know Him...not because we wanted to prove we were right in our beliefs or because we had some sense that God would find more favor in us for doing so (or smite us for NOT), but because we are filled with so much joy that God has given us, we cannot help but want to share God's love with others...and the love of Jesus Christ in our lives!

Information in Arabic, Spanish and English After Our Youth Outreach Event

Even though God commands that we love one another  (Matthew 22: 36-40), it has been a pleasure to do so!  In you, none of you show this commandment as a burden placed on you. And THIS, my dear family and friends, is what I have experienced with you continually: As it says in Act 2: 42-47:

The Fellowship of the Believers

42They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

The kids always find ways to share and love one another

 And even though many of you did not want us to leave, you helped us with our goals anyway.  You prayed for us, (Pastor Kevin and Family, Willevers, Cobbs, Clarks, Colson's, Sencenichs, Hayhursts, Gappmeyers, Sers, Bryan Tarr, Beans, Sal and Joyce, Ron and Marsha, Heather Merwin, Northups...and many, many others in God's family outside of FBC and around the world...the Bethoney Family, Brown Family, Willhoit Family, Shay Family, Piotrowski Family, Robyn Grieve, Eastman Families, Martin Families, Garriott Families, Uncles, Aunts, Cousins, Nieces and Nephews within our family names and natural kin...and friends of friends who prayed in our name, as well).  You helped us prepare our house (Colson's and Sencenech Families, especially) and prepared our hearts.  With this I realize, that our family is truly all over the world, but we will miss our family in California so very, very much.  Our hearts are with you.

And as I end this note, I continue to ask for your prayers as we begin preparing for our journey north. May our plans always be in line with the plans God has for us.  May we always first seek the path God desires, as His plans are always just...always righteous...always good.  I pray for peace, love, joy and happiness in your lives.  May you always know how much each and every one of you mean to us.    May you also know, that we will be together again.  You are our Eternal Family and we LOVE you. Blessings on you and yours.