Happy Happy Joy Joy

So lately times have been tough for me. And when I say tough, I don't necessarily mean horrible, like stuff is falling apart at the seams. Things have just been a little on the inconvenient side. For one thing, money has been tight. I just barely pay the bills, and when I say barely I mean BARELY. I start fundraising for Edgecorps in the fall, but to tell you the truth, I'm broker than an Edgecorps intern right now. I know God will provide, but this tight financial situation gets annoying sometimes.

I also drive A LOT. I drive 35 minutes to work at a pharmacy, get there and then drive around again for 2-3 hours because I'm a delivery driver. Then after that I either drive back home or drive 20 minutes to Willimantic to see people at Eastern. Even on Sunday, my day off from work, I drive because my home church is in Willimantic. Driving gets old fast sometimes, especially because it's my job.

Like I said I'm starting ministry in the fall and starting training and fundraising in June, but until then I'm just sitting and waiting. I'm not going to lie, I get a little impatient sometimes.

However who is on the throne? God is. Who has the best intentions for me no matter what happens? God does. The thing I love about the Bible is that it's full of flawed, real individuals who all fall short of God's standards. There are people in there who have no problem asking God, "Why is this happening to me?" They aren't disrespecting Him, they just want to know. It also has people who even though they don't even hear a direct answer from God on why it's happening, they continue to rejoice in God's provision and grace. It's amazing!

Now I'm also a music guy. God speaks to me a lot through songs and one of them lately has been a song by a hip-hop artist named K-Drama. The song has a clip from the classic Nickelodeon Show Ren and Stimpy and it's called "Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy." It's kind of a goofy song, but it's a good one to listen to for a good laugh if you're having a bad day. A good line from it that K-Drama drops goes like this:

"My car CD player broke, so did my portable.

My phone freezes up because of the car,

Guess it's no longer supportable.

Plus the screen on my TV cracked,

Call it a crack bail.

Rent's due next week, sometimes it's that scary!

Money's short, bills are high, dishes stackin' to the sky,

Toilet leakin' on the carpet, landlord leaves me and I want to cry.

But no matter the depth, and no matter the length,

The joy of the Lord is my strength!

HOLLA AT YA BOY!"

So sometimes things just get frustrating, things just get annoying, but in coming to God as we are, He gives us that joy and that strength to make it through. One of my favorite verses goes like this:

"Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign LORD is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights. For the director of music. On my stringed instruments." -Habakkuk 3:17-19

So God's got my back and He's on the throne. I wouldn't want to have it any other way. HOLLA AT YA BOY!

God bless,

Steve