Or do you only listen when it’s something you want to hear? I’ve lived under the belief that every prayer is answered, sometimes the answer is no. That’s a hard pill to swallow for many people. When you pray and say “Dear G-d, please let my team win”, do you get upset that G-d likes the other team better?

What does this have to do with anything? In recent posts I talked about how good G-d has been. We needed a new place and found one quickly, wife needed a new job, same thing. Now, she has been looking for a better job, one where she won’t have to work til 9 pm every night. One where she doesn’t have to worry about losing her job because the owners can’t seem to manage money. It sucks living everyday under threat of unemployment.

So, she sent out resumes, got recommendations etc. and got a call a few weeks ago from a company. The downside is it may not be in NJ, but rather in VA. That’s not so bad in itself, the bad part is we just moved here 4 months ago. I’ve been too long away from home & family. It’s roughly a 6 hour drive, not insurmountable, but certainly not the 10 minutes we enjoy now.

The question is, if this is G-d’s plan for us, what do I do? Do we go to the new place or stay here and hope for the best? Her job could go on indefinitely or there could be a better job available right here.

I just don’t know what to do.

Luke 11:29 “And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.”

How appropriate. Once again I left it in G-d’s hands and once again he delivered ten fold. When my wife needed a job, she found one. When we needed a place, we found one.

Finally! I’d never really heard of this town. Sure, I’d seen it in the parkway exit sign. That was the extent of any knowledge I had about it. Saturday we went and looked. At first it was small. But, weighing that against proximity to family, my wife’s job and the outstanding school  it quickly won out. The town is awesome, the neighborhood is about a 1/4 mile from “downtown” but you’d never know it.

Let me back up. We’ve been looking for a few weeks, not a long time in one respect. However, when the clock is ticking and we need a place to move into, it seems a lifetime. We looked at a few, of course the search was hampered by the almost 3 hour drive one way. Add to that, only being able to look on weekends or days off from school and it becomes harder. The one agent we dealt with was a nice enough guy… I won’t say anything more about that. He showed us two sort of adequate houses, but nothing spectacular. He knew about our drive time and assured us he had 4 or 5 to show us. Upon arrival he informed us, he was unable to get a hold of the owners to let us in. He had 3 mls listings. @ wouldn’t work for various reasons and the 3rd wasn’t available until march 1st. Too long a wait when eviction is staring you down. Our landlord is the most awesome you’d ever meet. But even he couldn’t let us live here for long with 0 income.

So, my dad works two doors down from a realtor. On a whim, he went and talked to them, and had us call their office.

Turns out they had a place, that was in our budget and we could come look at it. So we made another trip to NJ and looked and loved it. We gave them a deposit and will sign the lease this week.

The condo we had wanted to see… Well that was another case of realtor self importance. Apparently, when they say I will get an answer to your questions and call back, it doesn’t mean they will call you back anytime soon. As your customer, I should not have to chase you for the rental. If you want to make money, do your job. I think we are better off here and this is where G-d wants us to be.

Almost every move has worked out that way. The move to TX wasn’t on my list of things to do, but we went for a job. That’s where I was diagnosed and cured of cancer. The right doctors were right there where I needed them to be. While I would possibly have gotten great care elsewhere, I knew this is where I was meant to be. The move to PA wasn’t perfect. Once again, it served it’s intended purpose. We became friends with the former pastor and his wife. Just when she needed friends, we showed up and moved in next door. Mission accomplished. They have since retied and moved on. So, our time here is done. Now I believe that G-d wants us in this new place. In His time, I’m positive He will let us know the reason for this place and time.

Having faith isn’t supposed to be easy. Neither is giving up and letting G-d do things. I’m not saying to not be active or even pro active. Just that there are times when you let G-d do what He needs to. Sometimes you are happy with the results and others not so much. AT those times you need to step back and reassess the situation and see what it’s about. Maybe it will be better than you expected.

One last thing, Ive needed to find my birth certificate for awhile now. Now more than ever this week. Guess what? After it missing for over two years, I found it tonight in a place I would have never thought to look.  :-)   G-d is GOOD!

So, G-d is good! Very good to us. You non-believers are free to leave now. Although, if you’re an atheist what are you doing reading a post about faith?

Anyway, in my last post I wrote about how I needed to let go and let G-d. I did and He did. We needed a job for Michelle. With in 4 days she had interviewed and accepted a new potentially better position. She will also be getting her Real Estate license. So, there is potential there as well. As I’ve said before, He always answers, sometimes the answer is no.

Now, we are moving back to NJ. Finding a decent place, in a safe neighborhood we can afford is the trick. We wasted spent a few hours yesterday  looking at places. Neither of which were acceptable.The first was 3rd floor. But the laundry area was down 4 flights of stairs in a shared area. Umm you want to use my washer and dryer? Hell no.  The other was in a nice area, but was a small 1/2 duplex. 2 beds 1 bath and a “3rd bedroom” in a finished attic. But it had no closet and you had to walk through the main bedroom to get to it. So that’s a no-no as well.

I know I need to let Him do this again. It’s never easy giving control to another. But sometimes, you just have to. We have a line on a place. It’s a condo and not a house. That has advantages though. Plus it’s close to where I grew up. I like the area and it’s very close to family. Pus a ton of shopping, mass transit and several major highways.

So, fingers crossed.

Thanks for reading along.

So, as my sister put it, we’ve come or is it (gone) full circle? Way back in 2000, we moved to Bloomfield NJ when my wife got a better job in NY. Bloomfield was a place that was close enough.

After there we moved to TX. We lived there for about 6 years. Then here to PA. Now, it seems that as my sister also put it, losing her job was a blessing in disguise for us.Monday, she got a call at 10 til 3 saying, essentially her job was done. Well screw you, very much. So, all the 60 hour weeks, working til 11 or later at night, didn’t mean shit to them. I’m sure all the people in the local office kissed enough butt and got to stay.

As they say, life goes on. I hinted at it a little bit on twitter Thursday night. Friday we took a day trip to NJ for her job interview. She was offered a position and accepted it. Now we need to start looking for a place to live. The job is in Bloomfield NJ. I don’t know if that’s where we’ll end up, or someplace close. When we lived there, we loved it. It was close to so many things, yet was a quiet place where we felt safe raising two very young kids.

I’m looking forward to going back. Granted where we are isn’t super far, but 2.5 hours  one way is a pain in the ass.My wife drives and never says anything about it. But, I know it’s not easy for her. She knows it’s important for me to see my family and she likes it as well. So, she does it. It’s not like we can just hop in the car and go. It requires a certain amount of planning. Not so much once we’re back in NJ.

I will need to find employment once we’re back there. Most likely something in retail. Then I plan on finally getting my real estate license. I’m thinking of Commercial Real Estate, but who knows?

Thank you again to all of you that sent positive thoughts and words of encouragement.

I have loved this song since the first time I heard it. It’s powerful and beautiful.

Today,  my wife was laid off. I’m sure many people would be mad(as we are) and they would be pissed at G-d. (we are not). would it be easy to be mad at G-d, or whatever Deity, Supreme Being? Of course it would, and it’s a natural thing to feel that way. I admit, I have never been a perfect Christian. Although, I came close once  :-) . I am back-slidden, and there are many reasons(sorry excuses). Do I get angry with Him? Of course I do. I’m sure (to me) He understands and forgives that. He asks that we come to Him, not just in need, but also in joy and in celebration. He always answers prayers, what I believe people have trouble with is, sometimes the answer is no. I guess no one likes hearing no. I run to Him a lot. We ran to Him again today. It’s never easy, especially when you feel like you should be in control, to say “here you go, you handle this.

This is not a debate about religion, or Christianity. These are my thoughts and feelings on the subject. You are of course, free to disagree.

So, I’m doing my best to turn it over into His hands. As I said, it isn’t easy to do. But, try I shall. In my heart and soul I know He will help in His way and in his time. I wish it would come sooner than later. Also, if you know of a position for an experienced REO Asset Manager, by all means feel free to send that info along. Tomorrow I will put up a webpage with her Resume on it and I will use Twitter to pimp it out.

It’s not easy to trust, then again, I’m not sure faith should be a cakewalk. what would be the point. This is a favorite Bible Verse of ours.

^{Jeremiah 29:11} For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.