We Lived at the Photo Shoot Location

I'm a total fan of the new school family photo shoot.

When compared to the awkward studio shots of yesteryear?!

But I admit there's this part of me that kind of chuckles when I see the urbanite family dressed all spiffy, "non-posing" in the middle of a rural farm somewhere.

Well, we actually had the joy-filled pleasure of living in such a place.

This is the Healing Barn in Hockinson, Washington. It was our backyard - Praise God.

In 2015 the Lord asked me to resign from my job. I was slow to respond. Danielle was patient. We'd received plenty of confirmation on this. But it wasn't just a simple word to quit.

It included His instruction to not force any new doors open. To wait upon Him and only walk through doors He would clearly open. "That way, I would certainly know it wasn't me doing it - I would know it was Jesus - I would not take the credit - I would praise the Lord for His goodness." #pridesurrender

Additionally were the words... "It will seem like you're falling off a cliff (or waterfall) to your families death, but He will catch you and place you on a smoother, more flowing river than before."

Not easy for me.

Hebrews 11: 1 tell us "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."

I sometimes think I have the faith and then the thing actually becomes a real deal. Uh oh.

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Well, the Lord is a good at encouraging. So in early 2016, we jumped!

Weeks pass. Income is drying up. The car is gone. The house we are in can no longer be afforded.

I'm working, but only on intermittent projects the Lord directs.

We're a month from being without a home and no way to afford one.

A friend calls. "You can use my truck."

A another friend calls. "Dan, the Lord wants you to live in the Farm House if you need to. It needs some work. It's no cost."

Jesus shows up!

Several times during this season we thought it was the eleventh hour and we would gently here the Lord ask, "What if it is only the fourth hour?!" Heavenly conviction and the mercy at the same time.

We move. We live in tents for July and August. Danielle is pregnant (she's a champion among women). We renovate the home.

This house, the land, and the barn have been a place of incredible ministry. Dozens of people have lived on the property and encountered the Lord in tangible ways. Hundreds of worship nights, prayer sessions, church services, men's advances, discipleship training, weddings, deliverance, and more.

The Lord opened this door, literally. He gave it to us as a resting place, preparing us for transition.

"The provision is there, before the problem. The miracle is there, just look up for it." Dishan Wickramaratne

And a beautiful family photo shoot by Brienne Kristen Morris Photography to boot!