The picture is my daughter-in-law and the newest Troxel – my grand daughter Tessa Rose. She is adorable and I’m looking forward to holding her in about four weeks. Her birth seemed like a good excuse for sending out a ministry update message.
We are still on schedule to hitting the road the first week in August. For those new to this ministry list, my wife and I and our two youngest children will be traveling in a travel trailer from August until Christmas. Our second stop will be in Memphis Tennessee to visit with Tessa Rose. But our first stop will be to visit our older daughters in Houston.
OK, time for a quick update on Stacey. For some this won’t mean much, but others have been following this story for many years. There may even be a few who have read about the up and down journey for the past twelve years. Stacey is now 26 years old. I wish I could paint a rosy picture but I can’t. You have faithfully prayed, and when Stacey was in prison several years ago many of you even wrote letters. Addiction is a monster, an evil tool of the enemy. And yet, God remains in control and will never leave us! So we must never give up!!
Stacey has struggled with one addiction after another, really since she was thirteen. Her latest was a pain medication drug called OxyContin. I’ll spare you some of the details but I finally had to report her. The result was 30 days in jail and then being sent to a six month rehabilitation facility in Houston. She just finished her 40th day of this program. Her time is going very well and last week she even thanked me for reporting her – said I saved her life. There are many praises in this story right now, but the real test will come when she is released. Please pray that she develops the necessary tools and is empowered by the Holy Spirit. Our other daughter just moved to Houston with her husband so we will see both girls before heading north.
Many people have asked what we will be doing while we travel. Some have even questioned our wisdom, thinking we ought to give our children a more “normal” life. But it’s a good question – what ARE we doing?
Since I began this ministry thirteen year ago, the defining verses have been Mark 12:30 and Romans 12:1. When you study these verses you will see the call to love God by giving Him ALL of your life in worship. The rest of our life ought to be lived from the overflow of our love for God. So here’s the challenge. If we know that this should be the priority of life, what do we do when, one day, we discover our life does not line up with God’s priority? I had become extremely busy in our church with doing things for God but in the process had become terribly disconnected from God…and from my family. So what would you do?
Not everyone can pack up and leave town in a trailer, but everyone can do something! If you find that your life priority is out of alignment with God’s priority then take a step – even if it is a small step – to get back to where God wants you to be. Nothing is more important than our relationship with God, and after our heavenly relationship nothing is more important than the relationship with our family…nothing!
What am I going to do? I’m going to work on my two most important relationships. After that, I’m going to continue this internet/email ministry, and try to get this message of priorities out in as many forms as possible. I plan to share the journey with whoever will listen.
Please continue to lift us up in prayer. We are doing pretty good with our stress level but there is still much to do. I’m a little concerned about finances. Our donations are slightly down and our expenses are slightly up – not a great combination. Donations can still be made to the address on the bottom of every message. You might also consider the credit card or PayPal links at: http://www.gdwm.org/index.php/support/ This link also allows you to make regular scheduled donations – regular donations are an awesome encouragement!
I believe we have an important message. The regular devotional messages teach God’s truth about His love and faithfulness as well as our response before a holy God. And the additional messages I will be able to share through our travel experience will communicate in a very real manner our call to follow boldly and establish priorities in line with His priorities. God has given this ministry a large platform to reach people all over the world and I would ask that you consider how you might be able to help.
This is longer than the normal messages so I thank you for taking the time to read. Today was a good day. Today a new life came into the world – welcome Tessa Rose!
Have a Christ Centered Day!
Steve Troxel
God’s Daily Word Ministries
