Boney M - "Mary's Boy Child / Oh My Lord"

I am SO VERY THANKFUL to our Father in heaven today. Well, I'm thankful to Him always, but am overwhelmed with gratitude today because He has shown how He is faithful to keep His promises by repeatedly blessing my family with unexpected surprise blessings constantly since our income dropped drastically due to my being put on a disability insurance pension last May. A once-monthly pension check of just over $1800 does not go far in providing for a family of four (including 2 teenagers). Beyond the mortgage, insurance, utilities, and gas in the car, there's really nothing left. Our Father in heaven provides all of our groceries, and other necessities when the needs arise. He is SO faithful. This past month has been EXTRA amazing as far as my awareness of His faithfulness to my family.

Thank You, Jesus, for restoring our access and relationship with our Father in heaven. You alone have the Name above all names. Thanks to You, ALL things are possible!
 :)

Here is one example of His faithfulness. A couple of weeks ago we learned that our car needed new tires, and couldn't be driven until the tires were replaced, yet we had/have no extra money for anything. That car is our only transportation at the moment because my truck needs repair, and uses too much gas, anyway. The best quote that I got for used tires for the car was $270 for a matching set of 4 tires (2 with 80% tread & 2 with about 40% tread) that the dealer couldn't promise would still be there by the time I got paid a week later.

Last Friday was that week later, and when I called the dealer, those 4 used tires were gone. We needed all four tires replaced, so I just trusted the Lord to provide. The dealer told me that they had another set of 4 tires the same size, just not the same brand or tread pattern, and that they'd cost around $187 because they were all at about 35% to 40% tread left. When my wife and I got to the tire dealer after I got my pension check, the man told me that now those 4 tires were sold as well. A bit discouraged, I looked down at the counter and simply said a silent, "I trust You, Father. You always keep Your word." type of prayer. Right then, the man said, "I think that a set of tires that just came in (off of another car that was getting new tires) may be the size that you need, and, if they are, the cost will be the same (around $187). Those tires are all at about 40% tread. Hold on, I'll go check." He then went out into the VERY busy garage. My wife and I sat down in the "lobby" there and watched it suddenly fill up with customers (less than an hour before closing time). The tire dude came back in and told us that the set of tires that just came in were, in fact, the right size, so I told him to go ahead and have them installed.

In less than 15 minutes from that moment our car had gone into the garage, up the hoist, then back down on the ground and moved outside. The guy called us to the counter and told us that it was ready. Those dudes were FAST! Expecting to pay $187 (which was much better than the $270 quote a week earlier, but still more than we can afford - some bills payments were still going to have to be postponed for a month), the man wrote up the invoice, and the grand total was just $161 and change!!! EVEN BETTER!

As my wife and I gratefully walked out to her car, I told her that I wanted to have a look at the tires before we drove off, I walked around and checked out each tire. They were, indeed, all the same brand. Since the dealer mostly sells Cooper tires, I was expecting, perhaps, a used set of Cooper tires with 35% to 40% tread on them. I was pleasantly (not a good enough adjective) surprised to see that the tires that they sold us at $110 less than the original quote a week before were actually high-end Michelin radials, and ALL FOUR TIRES had plenty of tread on them. The front tires (front wheel drive) have about 65%-70% tread on them, and the rear tires appear to have about 50% tread on them! Moral of this story: trust the LORD with your whole heart, your whole being, and don't rely on what you've been taught and conditioned to expect, or on your own understanding. Acknowledge Him in ALL your ways, and He will make your paths straight. (Proverbs 3:5-6)
THAT, and, if you're around the Cowlitz County area in SW WA, and need tires, T&T Tire in Kelso, WA will treat you fairly, go the extra mile to help you with what you need, provide service equal to or better than any other dealer around (including Les Schwab), and even warranty used tires for 30 days.

Another example of the faithfulness of our Daddy in heaven and His love for us - Some wonderful friends of ours (who are also our neighbors just down the street) gave us a 19½ pound turkey! He also blessed me with a pound of SBC Peppermint Mocha coffee!

YHWH faithfully blesses us with food, milk, shelter, transportation, and SO much more! EVERY DAY IS CHRISTMAS, and EVERY DAY IS THANKSGIVING!