Budget

Great news!  The numbers are in and it looks like we can afford the house.  :-)  I don't know if anyone reading this would be offended by actual figures, so I won't list them.  But I'm super open about money, so if you're curious, just email me.  Let's say my original hopes for the house were unrealistic.  Once I realized that, I increased the hoped-for amount by 1 and a half times.  I was hoping that would be the number we would get today.  Nope.  It's more like double my original idea.  So, while it's a bit outside my comfort zone, it's totally doable and we will still be able to afford food and stuff.  ;-)

As soon as I started freaking out about the budget a few weeks ago, I went straight to the Lord.  I told Him to please let me know what to change / take away from the house if that's what He wanted me to do.  I asked Him to please point me toward anything that was unnecessary.  Help me not want it any more and completely feel like it is pointless.  Instead, He showed me a bunch of money I forgot we had.  Here and there, it all added up to an increased budget.  Wow.  I'm feeling like He gave us that money to use on the house, so I am following Him.

Another conversation for another day is how I deal with this monetary blessing the Lord has given us.  The Bible doesn't have a lot of nice things to say about people who aren't poor.  Dave Ramsey has a great article that God placed in my hands right when I was worrying about whether building this house is Biblical.  http://www.biblemoneymatters.com/dave-ramsey-comments-on-my-post-about-his-new-house-his-debt-philosophy-and-giving/

Again, I am linked arm-in-arm with God through this whole thing and I really feel like I am doing what He says.  In the end, if I'm wrong about one thing or another, He will bless my heart for wanting so badly to follow His will, and He will use this house for His glory!