I’ve often said that when I write here at our Place, I feel like I am just talking to
my friend. And sweet friend, if you really were sitting with me on my veranda
enjoying the late afternoon and sipping a cup of something warm on this beautiful
Phoenix day, I am confidant that our conversation would eventually roll
around to a story of the faithfulness of God.
There are many struggling with life at this very moment. Fearful, discouraged,
overwhelmed, troubled, scared and even panicked. That’s why we have to talk
often about the ways God has moved in our past. Personally speaking,
it is our Memorial Box stories that God uses to help me remember just how
faithful He has been ensuring that I understand that He will be faithful this time as well.
So on that note, I am going to begin to tell more of our stories.
I have to.
I have to remember. I have to remind myself. And I have to let you
remember with me.
So I am going to our Memorial Box and pulling out the very first story
I ever posted – way back in 2008.
This story is a favorite of mine……a sure sign of why I call Almighty God
my Miracle-working, Mountain-moving, Awe-inspiring, Gasp-giving God.
If you’ve never read it, you’ll love it.
In fact, when you’re done reading it, you will say, “NO.WAY.!”
If you have read it before, share with a friend who is struggling and wondering
if God cares. Be reminded that God’s got your back and He’s working behind
the scenes on your behalf.
Now, for my first official Memorial Box Monday, from October 26, 2008:
The Ezra Story
From the time I was a little girl I dreamed of having a rooster. Living in the city
of Buffalo that wasn’t reality….and so I dreamed.
In fact when we went to pastor our first church in rural Virginia, one of the
things I instantly told Dw as we looked for a home was this: “Maybe now I can a rooster.”
I’ll never forget that Christmas morning as our oldest, Abigail,
shocked me {she had gotten daddy to drive her to a farm nearby where she had
picked out and paid for herself} by presenting me with a huge, huge box…and
shocked me {she had gotten daddy to drive her to a farm nearby where she had
picked out and paid for herself} by presenting me with a huge, huge box…and
inside the box my dream had now become a reality!
I was beside myself.
Seriously, I giggled and smiled for months!
I named my new feathery friend after an Old Testament prophet – Ezra. I told Dw that I did that
because every morning he proclaimed the favorable year of the Lord.
I have to admit Ezra was a bit time-challenged. I told Dw that he probably
had ancestors in England….cause he would start his cock-a-doodle-dooing
at about 2:00am. It woke us up each middle-of-the-night and just as Ezra would
begin Dw would mutter the same thing each time, “I’m gonna’ kill that thing”
and everytime I would respond, “Oh, isn’t that the most beautiful sound in the world?”
had ancestors in England….cause he would start his cock-a-doodle-dooing
at about 2:00am. It woke us up each middle-of-the-night and just as Ezra would
begin Dw would mutter the same thing each time, “I’m gonna’ kill that thing”
and everytime I would respond, “Oh, isn’t that the most beautiful sound in the world?”
I meant it. And well, Dw kind of meant it too. My poor husband just didn’t and
still doesn’t appreciate the finesse of my feathery friends.
For almost five years I enjoyed Ezra’s active role in our family.
He woke me in the night. He hung out on the porch during the day.
He knew he was loved and deeply appreciated.
When my Multiple Sclerosis became more aggressive, we knew we needed to find a
home that was handicap accessible. Our plan was to sell our existing home,
move to a rental and then build a handicap accessible home so it would be
easier for me to maneuver with my cane and my wheelchair, Charlie, would be
able to get around with ease.
But this presented a potential concern to my heart. If we had to go to a rental,
what in the world were we going to do with Ezra? A friend had offered his home
as our rental once our home sold, but the rental was on a super busy road and the house
what in the world were we going to do with Ezra? A friend had offered his home
as our rental once our home sold, but the rental was on a super busy road and the house
was right up near the road.
There was no way that Ezra would survive in that rental house.
I mean I loved little Ezra bunches! He would come up to the porch and just sit
there as if to say, “the family hangs out on the porch, I’m family, so I
ought to be here too.” {And I’m not sure how he did it, but he would not poop
on the porch. Truly. He must have watched us and noticed that we never pooped
on the porch either, so why would he? He really was part human, I’m telling ya.}
on the porch. Truly. He must have watched us and noticed that we never pooped
on the porch either, so why would he? He really was part human, I’m telling ya.}
He wasn’t mean ever {time challenged, yes}, but still – just a really, really sweet guy.
Anyway, while pondering this Ezra dilemma, I also reasoned that it would be traumatic
to move Ezra and try to get him to understand the whole moving thing and dangerous road thing.
So I started to pray.
After all, if the Lord tells us to cast every single care we have on Him….then
Ezra definitely fit the “every, single care” criteria. I began to regularly ask the Lord,
specifically, if He would make a way for Ezra to just remain with the house.
I began to ask the Lord if He would allow whomever the people were that would come
to buy our home to fall in love with our Ezra so much that they would want him to stay.
And yes, I am aware that not everyone has such a fascination with my
feathery rooster friends.
feathery rooster friends.
BUT God does care.
And for the record, I did not tell one outside Dw and
the kids about my prayer.
So months passed while we waited for the house to sell and we had a kajillion
showings too….BUT one day my cell phone rang while I was checking out in WalMart.
I will never forget where I was standing when Almighty God cared enough to
show up about my dear Ezra.
The phone call went like this:
Our realtor, Diana: Linny, this is Diana, we have an offer!!!
Me: Really? Oh Yippee Jesus!!! Is it a good offer??!
Diana: Yeah, but it’s really weird, Linny. The buyer’s agent said he had to
ask me something before he presented the offer. They are out of town buyer but
before they even will present the offer they want to know if you would be
willing to leave the rooster. The rooster came up to them on the front porch
and they just fell in love him and they don’t even want to talk about the offer
until they know that you are willing to leave your rooster. Linny, that is the weirdest
request I have EVER had…In all my years of real estate I have never had anyone
want a rooster….
Me (through shrieks of joy standing in the middle of WalMart): Oh YIPPEEE
YIPPPEEE JESUS! Diana, God’s answered my prayers – I’ve been asking the
Lord to allow the buyer to love and want Ezra and He did it Diana – He did it!
Oh yes, dear friends, there is a sweet little rooster sitting in our Memorial Box.
It is a constant reminder that God even cares about the “little things” in our lives
and He totally is the God of what would seem impossible (or even silly to some)!!
I mean, seriously, what are the “odds” that someone would come to buy our home
and want Ezra? Only the God of the universe could stir a couple’s heart whom
we had never met before to love my little Ezra from the get-go and have such
a direct and special request upfront, before they even presented the offer!!!!
What an amazing God we serve!
Which brings me to the question:
If God cares so much about providing a loving home for a cute little feathery friend of
mine – how much more does He care and provide for the super, huge, gigantic,
enormous, seemingly impossible things in your life?
Exactly my point!!
Start writing down your own stories of the faithfulness of God. We must remember.
Your children need to hear them. Your grandchildren. Your cousins. Your friends.
Your Bible study. Your neighbors. We need to remember.
PS I really miss having a rooster. Not so surprisingly, Dw does not.
{In fact I just realized, that’s probably why he wants to live in a subdivision. haha.}
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!! I have been following your blog for a while but had not read that story. Our God is so amazing and so worthy of all our praise! Thank you for sharing, again!
That is an amazing story!!! God is soooo faithful!!! He did the same thing for us with our dog. We are getting ready to move to Kenya and I was so concerned to find him a good home. The only possible solution for me was for him to go back to his previous owner, but they had moved away! Long story short, they were willing to take him back and we were able to fly him there. God is so good, isn't he? He cares about little dogs and roosters, too!
As a bird lover, I was really touched by your story of Ezra. God is faithful, and we can trust him with all our cares and worries. Thanks for the reminder! What a beautiful story!
I love to read your posts. They are so full of the amazing presence of God and sweet humor. Yesterday we signed closing papers on our old home. God sold our home without it being on the MLS a week and a half ago, the day we put the sign in the yard. We didn't even have an Ezra to sweeten the deal, but we did leave a fancy chicken coop.
Thank you for letting Jesus seep through everything you write.
I'm sure God sent this for me today. (And many others too) Thank you for sharing. I will now never see a rooster the same.
Linny – I love it when our Father moves! I just posted my own "remembrance" post – I agree with you sooooo strongly. We MUST place these altars in front of our own eyes as well as for others to see the faithfulness of our God!
I totally get this post! I am a city girl from NJ and have loved all sorts of animals all my life. When we moved to rural PA (after 11 moves in the Army), the first thing I asked for was chickens. Now we have them, and guinea hens, and we have had our fair share of roosters as well. They are so beautiful! We had a special one that was 3 ties the size of my hens! He was my favorite. Such a character. But alas, as much as I loved and doted on him from day one, he began to turn on my special needs son who couldn't defend himself and I had to get rid of him. It was so sad. But, I still have many egg laying friends and the guineas are a riot! Thanks for the heartwarming story. And God never ceases to amaze me!! In ALL things!
Thanks for the wonderful laugh of joy over buyers who were more interested in your rooster than the rest of the details!
Sandy in the UK