If Heaven holds a manuscript containing the life story of each of God’s children, detailing how they would live out their life while on earth, without the slightest hesitation, I can admit, “I would never have considered my life’s story unfolding this way!” The steps of our life have been beyond our wildest imaginations. God’s intricate weavings, His sometimes-stern warnings—but most of all, “the peace of God, which passes all understanding,”1 combined with His unfailing presence, brought us through countless trials of our faith including our homeless ordeal.
Every born-again Christian must follow yahushua (Jesus) one step at a time. Thirty years ago when my wife and I first encountered the saving power of our LORD yahushua (Jesus), we had no idea what God Almighty had in store for us. I remember saying one morning with all my heart, “God, I want all you have for me; and if my mind cannot receive it, bypass that ‘thing’ and give it to me anyway.” I can honestly say, to this day God has been faithful to that prayer. Just how God has brought us through the last thirty-two years of trials and tests has been beyond measure and presents contemplative thoughts for what may lay ahead of us. We believe the future will include charting and traversing unexpected horizons for all Americans as fears and trepidations unfold on a continually growing scale while our country suffers judgment, forgiveness, and finally restoration.
Homeless by God’s Design is a stern warning, an urgent wake-up call, an admonition to churches across America. It is not directed to a particular denomination, but rather to every group of believers that meet on a regular basis. Our hope is that they will realize that the burden will ultimately rest on their shoulders as to how they receive and take care of God’s children, especially the ones that find themselves homeless. We are also writing this book to prepare families that may one day find themselves in the same situation that our family experienced, though theirs not by choice.
Is our trust for the future in people, money, possessions, talents, jobs, insurance, or the government? Take time as you read this book to think about where your trust truly lies, and what or whom you would turn to in a time of great need. Realize now that there is only One who will not fail you, and He is God, the One who created you. Will you remain true to Him as life unfolds differently than what you might have planned? Do you really know how to trust God?
Yahushua (Jesus) declared “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.”2 Do we honestly know the voice of the LORD? Have we tapped into the truth of Proverbs 3:5-6? “Trust in the LORD with all your heart; and lean not unto your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”3 A family of seven, we set out from the Mississippi gulf Coast, and found ourselves in mid-America, out of money and “Homeless by God’s Design.”