Until you understand the Will of God is not about discovering an itemized list but rather having a revelation of the Father's heart for you, you will never be able to know the will of God.

I came across a quote I shared in Facebook three years ago from Emily P. Freeman "I'm learning to discern the work that has my name on it.
A task may be good, but that doesn't make it mine."

Learning to hear God's voice is an important part of knowing what is your assignment and what is not.  There are thousands of good ministries and needs waiting to be met on this planet, but not all of them are ours to fulfill.  We have many demands upon our time, and learning to say "no" to  important projects that aren't ours does not mean those ministries or works aren't valuable.  It just means they aren't our jobs to perform. 

Generosity isn't about money. 
It's a mindset of the heart.
Generous people will always find a way to give,
even when they seemingly have nothing.

May God make us more generous people.

I loved this little comment I read from Kenneth E. Hagin. 

I truly believe when you have a need, God will provide the answer if you ask Him.  Though the answer may not necessarily be an easy or fast solution.  And, of course you're going to have to put in labor as God provides the opportunity. 

When God said, "The Just shall live by faith," He meant it literally!

Last winter my son, Jared, noticed our small arctic entry porch was not warm enough or large enough for him to work on his school project of rebuilding the small engine in his motorcycle comfortably. I told him to pray about God opening a window to provide a new shop for him to work in, as we didn't have the cash to purchase a brand new building and Jared dreamed of working on other mechanical projects.  At first Jared doubted me, wondering why would God care about a shed.  He had the mindset of many Christians today: God cares only about the BIG things of life.  But then I told Jared the truth, God cares about EVERYTHING! 

If it's important to you, it's important to God.  God may not care about things in the same manner as you do and sometimes He shows us our goals are too low and lifts us up to higher levels.  But if something is really troubling you, on your heart continually, or you need something to move forward, then seek God for help.  God promises when you need help, call on Him and He will answer.

After explaining this concept to Jared, I trusted the Lord to provide.  Believing God would provide the way, I started looking for potential opportunities on Facebook classified listings.  Then one day last summer, I came across an ad for someone looking to have an old shed removed.  I responded to see if we could take on that project and remove the salvaged wood and other building materials. Then our family with several volunteers from Eaglecrest Alaska Missions spent time tearing down the old shed from the 1940's.  We sorted and stacked the materials at our house to be recycled for Jared's shop. Although we still didn't have enough lumber to complete the entire project, we had a good start. 

We often tend to believe God must be an ALL or NOTHING God, and our answers must come right now.  When in reality, God is always ALL in for our good.   He provides everything we need, but often in steps that we can manage.  I continue to mediate upon the bible verses about not despising the small blessings or to him who was faithful with little more was added.  When we want everything right now, we may overlook what is already at our disposal and the opportunities right in front of us to move forward.  While we wait for God to miraculous provide the finished miracle, we miss the steps He's given us to complete that finished miracle.  Most of the time, God wants us to take that step of faith first before we see His hand moving.  If you doubt this, go back and reread the gospels.  How many times did Jesus not heal instantaneously but gave a command to be obeyed before the miracle manifested?  Jesus put mud on the eyes of a blind man from birth then told him to go and wash in the Pool of Siloam.  Only as the individual steps were taken was the final miracle shown.  First the man came for help, then Jesus spit and made mud to put on his eyes and gave direction to wash in Siloam.  Later, the blind man would have to journey to that pool and actually wash before he regained his sight.  The final miracle was a result of the small steps the man took and the reactions of God to his faith.  First he came for help, then he took the steps necessary as God led to achieve his miracle.

As we step out in faith, more is given. 

That's exactly what happened with my son's shop project. In October, we had enough money to purchase the lumber for the rafters, but not enough to cover the roof.  Then my sister donated tongue and grove planks her husband had salvaged from a friend's basement remodel.  The wood would have gone to waste if her husband had not saved it years ago.  But, sadly her husband died the year before, and his project ideas went with him.  The wood sat hopeless for a long time before she offered it to us.

With supplies in hand, we started laying out the 16 ft by 30 ft shop late in autumn.  It's been a lot of hard work laboring in the cold.  From previous experience, I had the knowledge to design the basic wall and rafter layout.  Then Jared and I spent a weekend constructing all the walls.  On a different weekend, I built the rafters.  With help of four friends, we raised the walls and the rafters on another weekend.  Then we began the process of sheeting the building.  This weekend, Jared and I finally finished the roof and closing in the front loft.  We also built barn style doors from scratch to enclose the front bay area.  The weather has prohibited building daily or even weekly, but as weather allows, we continue to labor.  Of course, we have to dress for the cold weather with several layers of clothing and appropriate outerwear.

All that's left at this point is to install the windows, main door, and a wood stove for heat.   But again, God has provided.  The windows and main door were donated to us as leftovers from a previous project.  The wood stove was also donated from Aunt Linda, which came from her previous house.  Everything we've needed has been provided: a little here, a little there.  After the exterior structure is complete, we still have roofing to install and painting, but are believing this summer when the weather allows, the materials will become available.

This shop stands as a testament to God's willingness and faithfulness to partner with you as you believe in Him and step out in faith to work with what's already in your hand. 

More pictures will be provided later on my blog as progress continues on the building over the next few months. 

This week the BBC news released an article on the last remaining fragments of the Dead Sea Scrolls.  There were six fragments written in code, which were finally deciphered by Dr Eshbal Ratson and Prof Jonathan Ben-Dov of Haifa University.  

The Dead Sea Scrolls were originally found between 1947 and 1956 in caves in Qumran on the western shore of the Dead Sea.  A young Bedouin shepherd stumbled across the caves when looking for lost sheep.  He found jars which contained fragments of 900 scrolls; some of them were complete scrolls.   It is believed an ancient Jewish sect called the Essenes were responsible for the scrolls.  

The newly deciphered code reveals the names of Jewish festivals observed that recognized the seasonal transitions, which include Shavuot (Pentecost).  The festivals related to Pentecost include New Wheat, New Wine, and New Oil.   Researches believe this new decipher helps them understand how the scrolls were arranged originally. 

The Dead Sea Scrolls have affirmed the reliability of scripture and is relevant to your faith in the written Word of God. If you would like to learn more about the Scrolls, the Leon Leavy Digital Library has a variety of information to help you understand the scrolls.  They have the following subjects: Historical Background, Timelines, Discovery and Publication, Discovery Sites, Content of the Scrolls, Languages and Scripts, and Conversation.