Update : 11708

Sorry it's been a while since updating you. A lot has happened in the last week! Here's a brief update...

House...
To bring you up to speed, here's what's been happening since I last wrote about the offer on the house. Basically, we signed a formal counter offer on Wednesday and were supposed to hear back yesterday on whether or not it was accepted; however, the buyer asked for a 24 hour extension and is scheduled to see the house again this afternoon at 4pm (EST) and will then make a final decision.

Suzanne expects the deal to go thru! Our counter offer is on the table until 7pm this evening. If you read this in the next several hours, please pray. We are hopeful and excited! Will keep you posted as we are able.

Music...
I FINALLY got the new music up and playing on Nicol's myspace player! You'll find three songs there: Blessed Be Your Name; How Deep the Father's Love for Us; and My Father the King.

Would be very interested in your feedback. As I mentioned a while back, none of them are likely to be on Nicol's latest project, but will probably be on a future one. Please let us know what you think!

Praises...
--for the fruit we are seeing on the decision to sell the house; even though it's not sold yet, getting a serious offer is extremely exciting - and rare - in this market; so we are grateful to God for that
--for getting us thru some very dark days over the past week or so and also for giving us good times too
--for our friends and family
--for being able to attend the Tennessee Titans-Green Bay Packers game last Sunday in Nashville; Nicol and I went with Todd and Angie and had a great time
--for the blessing of God's Word; may it dwell in us all richly
--for living in a country that can endure a hard-fought political season and election and come out on the other side of it without widespread and mass violence; the same situation in other countries often results in one candidate or the other, one party or the other, fighting to the death for power, with many innocent people also losing their lives; thank you Lord that we are not facing that here

Prayer concerns...
--selling the house
--getting everything moved out over the next few days; we leave for Maine next Wednesday (Nov. 12) for Thanksgiving and the buyer has requested that the closing take place before the end of the month (gulp!); but the good news is that we may be selling some of our furniture with the house, which means we will have less to move; anyway... strrrrreeeeesssss!!!
--we are trusting the Lord to order our steps to Nashville and to work out either a temporary place to live (which we may already have!) or a place to buy that is too good a deal to pass on; whatever the case, we are believing God to lead us to the right situation
--my Nana (Grampy Sponberg's mother) is not doing well; she has dimentia, has dealt with severely elevated blood pressure levels for years, and recently the doctors told her children that her kidneys are beginning to fail and that she may possibly only have a matter of weeks or months to live; we would appreciate your prayers for her, and for God's grace and mercy to be very evident during what appear to be the final days of her life

A hymn...
[ Jesus What a Friend for Sinners has been a great comfort to me the past couple of days ]

Jesus, what a friend for sinners
Jesus, lover of my soul
Friends may fail me, foes assail me
He, my savior, makes me whole

Chorus
Hallelujah, what a savior
Hallelujah, what a friend
Saving, helping, keeping, loving
He is with me to the end

Jesus, what a strength in weakness
Let me hide myself in Him
Tempted, tried, and sometimes failing
He, my strength, my victory wins

Jesus, what a help in sorrow
While the billows o'er me roll
Even when my heart is breaking
He, my comfort, helps my soul

Jesus, what a guide and keeper
While the tempest still is high
Storms about me, night o'ertakes me
He, my pilot, hears my cry

Jesus, I do now receive (adore) Him
More than all in Him I find
He hath granted me forgiveness
I am His, and He is mine