Category: Perspective

Whose Team are We On?

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Today’s post is somewhat awkward. Typically prayer and conversation with God is extremely personal to me. I am not prone to share those a times but I feel he is leading me to share a bit about my time with Him, so here goes:

As I was talking to The Lord this morning praying for concerns and needs among my family, friends and church, there was an unusual change in the direction and tone of my prayer. I had prayed for health and healing, and some more specific individual needs and for wisdom and understanding for myself and those for whom I was praying. As I continued, I began to pray about things going on in the world. There is so much need, so many people hurting and more than our share of violence and atrocities all around! I began to feel an urgency to pray for an awakening in the church, for renewal, and for revival. Once again the phrase, “arise oh sleeper” from Ephesians 5:14 came to mind. prompted by the Holy Spirit? Perhaps, probably.

As I began praying for the Church around the world. I felt prompted to intercede because The Lord called those in the church to be in the world but not of the world. Many times in our culture it has become hard to tell the difference because there is a tendency to fit in rather than stand out. As I prayed, I felt as if The Lord, Himself was guiding the direction of the prayer by bringing to mind certain scriptures. There was an urgency to pray for a great move of the Holy Spirit, a renewal of loving as Jesus loved. I also felt Spirit prompted to pray that individuals and the church worldwide would learn that it is not our job to accuse, condemn and judge each other whether inside or outside the Body of Christ because according to Revelation 12: 10, Satan is the accuser of the brethren. Instead, may those of us who belong to Jesus respond as Jesus would respond, with love, mercy and grace.

A prime example is found John 8. The experts in the law and the Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery to Jesus. Scripture clearly says that their purpose was to set a trap for Jesus. Jesus’ response: “Jesus bent down and wrote on the ground with his finger. 7 When they persisted in asking him, he stood up straight and replied, “Whoever among you is guiltless may be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 Then he bent over again and wrote on the ground. 9 Now when they heard this, they began to drift away one at a time, starting with the older ones, until Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. 10 Jesus stood up straight and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Did no one condemn you?” 11 She replied, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “I do not condemn you either. Go, and from now on do not sin any more.”

John 10:10 tells us that Satan comes to steal, kill and destroy…but Jesus came to bring life! abundant and full. Being critical, accusing and being judgemental throws up barriers, brings out defensiveness. Paul teaches us this in Ephesians 4:14-16 (HCSB):
“14 Then we will no longer be little children, tossed by the waves and blown around by every wind of teaching, by human cunning with cleverness in the techniques of deceit. 15 But speaking the truth in love, let us grow in every way into Him who is the head—Christ. 16 From Him the whole body, fitted and knit together by every supporting ligament, promotes the growth of the body for building up itself in love by the proper working of each individual part.”

The wisdom of Solomon teaches us this in Proverbs 16:5-7 (NET):
5 The Lord abhors every arrogant person;
rest assured that they will not go unpunished.
6 Through loyal love and truth iniquity is appeased;
through fearing the Lord one avoids evil.
7 When a person’s ways are pleasing to the Lord,
he even reconciles his enemies to himself.

Oh Heavenly Father, may there be a great renewal of Your love flow through this world. May your Spirit be poured out and the Fruit of the Spirit flow fully in Your people!! May renewal come, may Your children love others following the example of Jesus! Lord, please fill Your church with Your love, mercy and grace like never before in ever-increasing waves until the whole world has been covered and all have had a chance to experience the greatest and truest form of love ever known!

1 Peter 1:21-23
Living Bible (TLB)
21 Because of this, your trust can be in God who raised Christ from the dead and gave Him great glory. Now your faith and hope can rest in Him alone. 22 Now you can have real love for everyone because your souls have been cleansed from selfishness and hatred when you trusted Christ to save you; so see to it that you really do love each other warmly, with all your hearts.

*bold words, author’s emphasis

Struggles…

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This morning as I begin my day, I looked to see what my s.o.a.p chapter for the day would be. (Scripture, Observation, Application and Prayer).  It would be Deuteronomy 34, the last chapter and one of my favorite stories of the Old Testament. Next, I opened You Version, an electronic app for Bible. Up on the screen popped their verse of the day. My thought was alright I will read this real quick and move on to my s.o.a.p, reading. I was stunned by what I read next:

Proverbs 3:7,8 Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own.

Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; He’s the one who will keep you on track.

Don’t assume that you know it all! Run to God! Run from evil!  Your body will glow with health, your very

bones will vibrate with life! Honor God with everything you own;

give Him the first and the best.

I am just going to be completely transparent as I begin. I have been wrestling with somethings for a while. this last week it intensified and it has consumed larger chunks of my days. After trying to reason things out and get answers mostly on my own, I finally wised up and sought council with the Only One that could actually give me both insight and wisdom on the matter. I can’t say that my prayers got a quick and fix all answer, but gently and lovingly over the last few days God has been guiding me in His Word and leading me to answers. I will share a bit of that today in hope that it might help someone else who is struggling…

To get back on track, I was stunned by this verse because first of all in the struggles I had been pondering two or three directly affected me (one was health related) and the rest affected some of my loved ones and this verse quickly and concisely addressed what I had been doing…trying to figure out things on my own. Oh yes, I had prayed about them on the surface but until Wednesday, I had not truly prayed over them asking and seeking real answers and furthermore never left them at the feet of Jesus. Instead, even though I should know better, I would pick them right back up in a few minutes or a few hours. Now I have to admit I had a mixed response at first: “Oh wow, this verse popped up just for me”; then, “no, they have a verse everyday, it is a coincidence it speaks to me on these specific issues in my life”; lastly, ” no, not a coincidence, it is too personal to what is going on in my life,  it addresses both my trying to figure things out, seeking God out instead of reasoning  that these both lead to health which in my case is suffering a little right now.” Yes, I was reasoning and over-thinking again already! As I told myself, stop; I felt a nudge to go and read the full chapter. Amazing… would you believe it was just what I needed to hear?

Do I have all the answers to the questions that I have been struggling with? No, some are more clear and others, not so clear.  There was not instantaneous answer to everything, but there was aclear-cut mandate: God has this, “don’t loose a grip on Love and Loyalty”, trust Him from the bottom of your heart and DO NOT try to figure this out on your own, seek Him!! Listen for His voice in everything you do and where ever you go. These will bring health and a viberant life. Seek wisdom and insight for these are the tree of life to those who embrace them, holding onto them bring blessing! Clear thinking and common sense are where we need to live; worry, wondering, speculating on what may or may not be are not helpful and do not add but detract from our lives.

My take away today is to recommit myself to these principles, quit trying to figure out things on my own and seek God for wisdom and for understanding on these things, lay them down and trust in Him to bring the right answers, direction and guidance. When we wait on God and His timing, He will answer.  I fully believe that God was able to speak to David through Nathan; Balaam through his donkey; to the people of Israel through the prophets; and to us today  by any means He chooses. After all, the Word of God says He is the same yesterday, today and forever!! Our job is to trust, believe, hope in Him; read His Word; seek Him and His guidance; and listen and act on what He says as long as it agrees with His Word.

As for Deuteronomy 34, I made it there but that is a story for another time!  Be Blessed!!

A Call to Return

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Stunning read! I am not sure words can do justice to Jonathan Cahn’s book titled The Harbinger. Maybe it is because a few weeks ago I was led to the following verse and wondered why it resonated so deeply with me for America and the times in which we are living.

Ephesians 5:14 For everything made evident is light, and for this reason it says:
Awake, O sleeper!
Rise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you!”

The Harbinger, a book which is classified as fiction, yet the facts within it surrounding the warnings and fall of ancient Israel and surrounding the details of September 11, 2001 and the years following are very much true. The similarities between the warnings then and now are remarkable to me, most likely because the parallels are almost exact. Are the same events that lead to captivity and and destruction in ancient days repeating themselves in America? Was 9/11 a warning, a pulling away of God’s hand of protection, or possibly a call for America to return to God; the foundation upon which she was built and dedicated?

I love the gradual unfolding of the mysteries of the Harbingers and how each is both tied to ancient Israel yet also tied to our own county and it’s history, as well as more current events. Because of a love for history and for God’s Word I found The Harbinger captivating and definitely a wake up call for America but even more so for those of us who believe in and serve God. It definitely highlights legitimate reasons for God’s people to in the words of 2 Chronicles 7:14 “who belong to me, humble themselves, pray, seek to please me, and repudiate their sinful practices, then I will respond from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land”.
One might respond, “what do I need to be forgiven for that put our nation where it is?” The answer is simply if, as believers, we haven’t done all we can to be salt and light, even if there has been no committed sin; there has been sin of omission. It is our responsibility to seek revival and it must begin in us. 2Chronicles is the starting place!

This isn’t the normal lighthearted kind of book I would choose for a vacation read but I am quite glad I chose it. I found it fascinating and intriguing. I am betting I will refer back to it and perhaps read it again in the near future. It is a well written, informative and enjoyable read. The subject matter is stunning, warnings concerning, even quite serious but it is also message of hope.

We who are God’s people are here on a mission to show the world His love, faithfulness, mercy and grace. Too many times we have instead shown judgement and left those in our path feeling judged, condemned and hopeless. Other times we have kept to ourselves and those just like ourselves; this should not be. Each day I am more convinced my job is to do my best to be light, to show His love, and be a beacon of hope to those whose hope is diminished and to those who are hopeless. Changing people isn’t what He calls us to nor is to our responsibility; showing His love, faithfulness, mercy and grace is. He is the Savior, the life-giving and living water…we are His vessel should He choose to use us but it is crucial we handle it well. His way, His Word rather than our way, our opinion.

Waves of Majesty

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Waves of Majesty

Gazing on the Splendor You have placed before me.
Captured by the churning power, my eyes delight.
How can one doubt Your existence?
Your Presence weighs heavy .

You have set the boundaries on this forceful body.
You alone coax these waters…
Waves leaping, waters dancing,
Your breath stirs them and they respond joyfully!

Each creature within it’s depths there at Your request,
By Your design and desire.
How amazing Lord is Your creation.
How awesome are You, it’s Creator!

A glimpse of the power amassing before me;
A mere foreshadowing of Your true greatness.
An exhibition of Your magnificence,
Only a tiny example of Your Power, Your Might!

You surround us with Your beauty and favor.
Entice us with Your majesty and goodness.
Bidding us to come, quiet ourselves,
Be lavished by Your  Presence.

Will we be persuaded?
Heed Your soft persistent call?
Wisdom to seek Your refuge;
And joy, peace and love behold.

Adonna Smith

Let the loyal followers of the Lord say, “Yes, his loyal love endures!” In my distress I cried out to the Lord. The Lord answered me and put me in a wide open place. The Lord is on my side, I am not afraid! What can people do to me? It is better to take shelter in the Lord than to trust in people. It is better to take shelter in the Lord than to trust in princes. The Lord gives me strength and protects me; he has become my deliverer.” They celebrate deliverance in the tents of the godly. The Lord ’s right hand conquers, the Lord ’s right hand gives victory, the Lord ’s right hand conquers. I will not die, but live, and I will proclaim what the Lord has done. I will give you thanks, for you answered me, and have become my deliverer. The stone which the builders discarded has become the cornerstone. This is the Lord ’s work. We consider it amazing! This is the day the Lord has brought about. We will be happy and rejoice in it. (Psalms 118:4-6, 8, 9, 14-17, 21-24 NET)

Grace

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Praise the Lord, O my soul!
With all that is within me, praise his holy name!
Praise the Lord, O my soul!
Do not forget all his kind deeds!
He is the one who forgives all your sins,
who heals all your diseases,
Psalm 103: 1-3

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Yes, Bless The Lord oh my soul! What an amazing display of Your glory are the sights and sounds I am blessedly surrounded with this morning! A stunning example of Your goodness, kindness, faithfulness is rolled out like a red carpet before me, my spirit leaps and my heart magnifies You, oh my Lord!!

Oh how great are you Lord, there is none other like You! Your creation cries out at Your great majesty as I meet with You here this morning. Rushing waters, waves crashing declare Your Glory! Palm fronds flutter in Your presence as the palm stands at attention before You, arms raised high. Birds flock to the sky to sing Your praises. The flowering trees wave their hallelujahs to the Most High God, welcoming Your presence in their midst. The sound of lapping waters, crashing waves dim in comparison to You. At Your command the sun begins it’s daily ascent rising over the waters leaving a trail reflecting Your Glory dancing toward me on the sea as it reaches for new heights. Gentle waves advance toward me. They break forth in a crashing song, then quietly receded in awe of Your Splendour.
Sea grass stretch toward You in the warmth of a new day, celebrating. In the distance, playful dolphin leaping for joy at the wonder of You.

Yes, let all that is within me join with creation, praising Your Holiness; let my soul magnify You and bless Your holy Name. My hearts cry. “There is NO other like You” !! Living waters dance jubilantly, fluffy clouds in their sweet worship gently sway to Your beautiful melody. In response, a lone sea gull stands at attention facing sunward, lifting its head to Your dwelling place in awe and wonder! Those made in Your image stand in utter amazement in the beauty of the ever changing canvas as You paint this new day, basking in Your great creativity; enjoying the echoes of You personally singing over our lives; watching an ever changing slide show of Your faithfulness, mercy, and love. This is grace! Continual glimpses of Your goodness, Your beauty. How can we not worship? How can we not Magnify Your name?

Praise the Lord, O my soul!
With all that is within me, praise his holy name!
Praise the Lord, O my soul!

Identity

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What exactly is identity?  According to freedictionary.com, it is the collective aspect of the set of characteristics by which a thing is recognized or known; a set of behaviors or characteristics that makes one recognized as a member of a group; a distinct personality of an individual ; the quality or condition of being the same as something else. The other dictionaries had pretty similar definitions.
Those who are reading this for example would all fit into the category identified as human because we meet certain similar criteria. Some of us female, others male as defined by certain characteristics. Because every human is conceived and born of a mother and a father, we are classified as either son or daughter according to our gender regardless of their continued presence in our lives. Further, each of us can also be classified as individuals because every one of us is unique and different. Even in a family unit where there are great similarities, there are also distinct differences that make us uniquely who we are. We are shaped and influenced  by our genetics, by our environment, by our education, our relatives and friends, by our experiences in life and by our beliefs.
When we take on certain titles or positions we also adapt and our identity is influenced by this new aspect in our life. For example, when we become a Christian, a Christ-follower if you will there is a shift in our belief system. With that shift begins a remarkable shift in our identity, however how much of that shift is actually realized in our lives is up to us.
Many of us are introduced to the person of God through fear of punishment and see Him as just waiting and watching in the big unknown to catch us misbehaving or doing something He doesn’t approve of us doing. Most of us are not introduced first to Him as the Self-Existent Creator of life; or as a great and wonderful Creator and Artist that placed the stars above and the earth below. Is our first experience in knowing of God that He spoke and hundreds of thousands of species from the smallest microscopic cell or germ to the grandest majestic mountain was formed? Sadly, not generally is this ever instilled in us as our first impression. Yet, is it easier to believe that everything we see all around us just happened, sprung up from nothing? I personally find that difficult to believe, it is much easier for me to believe
God spoke it into being and when it was done, he lovingly created man to share the great beauty with then seeing man without anyone like him decided to form woman as a companion to man.
Having said this, I often wonder why most of us are introduced first to God as a heavy handed Father just waiting for us to mess up. Why this view of God is the most prevalent has puzzled me for a long time. I am sure there are many theories we could come up with but rather than speculate endlessly, I would like to continue to look at discovering a more accurate and diverse concept of the character of  the God I love and serve. Those possibilities are endless for He is infinite! Though I have spent my lifetime in this pursuit, I have but yet to barely scratch the surface! This I do know, when the Word of God speaks of fear of The Lord, it means a healthy respect; honor; reverence; and yes it also implies obedience.
Obedience, there is a word that throws up defences and rattles us. Have you ever noticed even with a young child just beginning to crawl the independent spirit begins to arise. It gradually intensifies as they become proficient at crawling. They want to go where they want to go and do not enjoy us setting boundaries or redirecting them from obstacles that might be harmful. Then as they grow stronger and begin to walk, it’s on!  Every step of our growth in childhood makes us more and more independent. Nevertheless, we must have boundaries and if we are blessed as we grow more, we learn to impose healthy boundaries for ourselves, not only for our protection but to keep us in line and respectful of those all around us.  I personally believe in hindsight that this is the ideal way to parent and it is how our loving Heavenly Father has designed in His Word that we grow and mature in our lives. It involves moving from dependence on our parents, growing into a place we can be interdependent.  As we mature, we strive to reach a place that we are able to take care of ourselves. Is that fully reaching the goal? Being independent? I believe not. I am convinced the goal of a mature life is interdependence.  There are seasons in our life like childhood, and in times of illness when we are completely dependant on someone. Most of our lives are spent in various states of interdependence but never have I met one who is truly independent or in other words does not need anyone for anything.  That concept is a mirage, it is not possible.
Just as we want to love and protect our little one as they grow and mature into childhood, adolescence and adulthood, our Heavenly Father who loving created each of us desires that and more for His children! The biggest difference is His ways are higher than ours as are His thoughts. He sees the bigger picture and all the possible outcomes if He doesn’t limit or guide us through life by setting standards and boundaries. Here is a practical example: how many children have at some point taken off running paying no attention where they were headed? As a parent or adult in charge, you know the danger of them running out into the street and getting hit by a vehicle weighting anywhere from a thousand pounds up to tens of thousands of pounds of metal, as an adult you see the hidden dangers of them running and falling into a pool resulting at worst in drowning because they can’t swim or even getting just a bit farther away and finding themselves lost in a crowd or kidnapped by a stranger.  The one under our care sees us as limiting their fun, controlling them and keeping them from enjoying life.  Interestingly, not so different from how many of us see God.
Sounds so simple and easy, of course we who are responsible and love our children are going to set rules and boundaries for their safety because we are responsible for them at a minimum until they can take full responsibility for themselves. It would be at the least negligent and unloving not to have their best interests, protection and well being at heart. May I just suggest here, it is no different where God is concerned!
Today on what would have been my Dad’s 79th birthday, I dedicate this to my parents.  Happy Birthday Dad! So grateful for all you and Mom taught me and more so each year I walk this planet without the two of you!! How great to have the assurance of being together again one day and telling you both this in person!  I truly know you love me and  always wanted what was best for me!

Who Influences How You Think About Who You Are?

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Good morning.  Sometimes a word, phrase or a single thought will come to my mind and it will grab my attention, today it was a question. As I was in the Word reading, I believe I heard the question: What do you believe about who you are? For the past number of years, and I am not really sure how many, my Heavenly Father has had me on a journey teaching me about who we are in Christ but the last few months the pace seems to have accelerated in my lesson times.
The last few days I have been reading in Hebrews which is rich in what it says about who we are and who our Saviour is. Today, I’ll stick with the thought, Who do you believe you are?  in relationship to who God says we are in Christ.
In Psalm 8 and repeated in Hebrews 2 the question is asked, “What is man that you think of him or the son of man that you care for him?”  Next flows the answer, “You made him lower than the angels for a short time; You crowned him with glory and honor and subjected everything under his feet. For in subjecting everything to him, He left nothing that is not subject to him. As it is, we do not yet see everything subjected to him. (Hebrews 2:7, 8 HCSB)
So do we believe that our God, our perfect Heavenly Father created us a little lower than the angels?, that He crowned us with glory and honor and subjected or placed everything under our feet? Even if at some level we do believe this, the verse goes on to say: “as it is, we do not yet see everything subjected to him.” This means that even if we believe it on the surface, we are not walking there in our lives.  Why? Most of us, myself included, only scratch the surface of knowing who God says we are in His Word. I believe if we really understood the greatness of God’s love and what He says about us as His children and His heirs we would be astounded. We would be completed stunned to see how great is His love for us and how much He longs for not only a personal relationship with each of us but for a deeply intimate relationship.
By this I simply mean a relationship where we know and understand Him on a level that is deep and abiding, because He already knows us on such a level and already loves us more deeply than we can comprehend. Relationships are much better when they are mutual and when both persons are equally engaged with one another. Though it is not something we can likely attain in our relationship with God because His thoughts and ways are higher than ours; it is certainly something we can reach for in our relationship with Him.
Now, getting back to the question that was given me this morning, I would like to begin with a scripture that is very dear to my heart. It literally changed my way of thinking when I first discovered it many years ago.
“My bones were not hidden from You when I was made in secret, when I was formed in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw me when I was formless; all my days were written in Your book and planned before a single one of them began. God, how difficult Your thoughts are for me to comprehend; how vast their sum is! If I counted them, they would outnumber the grains of sand; when I wake up, I am still with You”. (Psalms 139:15-18 HCSB)
For deeper understanding, you might go back and begin at the first verse and read through this passage, but this is in a nutshell what I began to realize:  God not only knew when I was conceived and knew every detail of my formation before I was born, every single day of my life was known by Him before even one came to be! How incredible! God knew every day of my life before any came to pass;  He knew every good thing I would do and even more staggering, He knew every mistake I would ever make. He knew every sin, every misstep and He still created me, He still wanted and accepted me.  He made provision through His own Son, Jesus for redemption, reconciliation and relationship with Him because He understood my humanity. It was still His desire to be in a loving relationship with me and it is also His desire for you, my friend!!!
Jeremiah 1:4-5 says, “The word of the Lord came to me: I chose you before I formed you in the womb; I set you apart before you were born. I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”
Here God is speaking to Jeremiah but His Word also tells us He does not believe in favouritism in James chapter two.  Our God designed us each and every one uniquely and with a purpose and destiny to fulfill just as He did with Jeremiah.   It brings great pleasure to Him when we choose to be in relationship with Him, to offer of ourselves: our time, our talents and our gifts back to Him. His Word says He delights in us and sings overs us. Imagine, pause and reflect on the Creator of all the universe taking time and just delighting in you, singing over you…
Zephaniah 3:17 The Lord your God is in the midst of you, a Mighty One, a Savior [Who saves]! He will rejoice over you with joy; He will rest [in silent satisfaction] and in His love He will be silent and make no mention [of past sins, or even recall them]; He will exult over you with singing. Amplified Bible
It is my hope this blesses you, whether it is the first time you have heard it or it is just a reminder.  I would like to leave you with this proclamation from Him. Yes it applies because though it was spoken over Israel, our God is the same yesterday, today and forever. His Word also proclaims in Christ we are the seed of Abraham (Israel) .
“I have loved you with an everlasting love.” Jeremiah 31:3b
Coming soon- More about Who He Says We Are

Circumstances, Grace, and Gratitude

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How fascinating when several avenues in our life converge and it results in a new understanding of who we are or of who we are meant to be, when they come together and totally change our perspective or our trajectory. Lately, I have been emerged in a study of Gideon, a Biblical hero of faith listed in the book of Hebrews. He did not start out that way! When first mentioned in Judges, he is hiding in a wine press threshing wheat. This is a very unconventional place to thresh wheat but Gideon is hiding in order to protect the wheat from the enemy who is oppressing his people. Meanwhile he is visited by an angel of The Lord with this message, “the Lord is with you, mighty warrior!” From our perspective, Gideon is fearful and hiding; from God‘s perspective he is declared a mighty warrior (Judges 6:11-12); and finally from Gideon’s perspective he is the weakest and the youngest (verse15). Whether we like it or not so is our lives. People see us from one perspective, we see ourselves from another, yet God sees us beyond those perspectives. He sees us for who we are, who He created us to be, and our unlimited potential in Him.

I don’t know about you but I am not that different from Gideon. I tend to be hard on myself and to be insecure, though some have said they see me as confident and strong, I rarely qualify. They only see the outside, my actions and have no idea what is in my heart unless I share it. Again, from God’s perspective, He sees the real me, the good, the bad, and the ugly. He also knows the destiny He created me for and the potential that I have, especially if I walk with Him. He has a plan and purpose for us; he also allows us free will to choose what path we will take.

Imagine our lives as series of roads, for this purpose we will picture if we can three roads. One is a beautiful road with flat places shaded by the covering of pretty trees at times, further along it meets with fields of flowers, rolling hills, and even the rougher terrain along the way is beautiful and pleasing to the eye.  We will call it God’s Grace. The next road is direct and straight for a long-span, it divides and goes different directions at a certain point and from there tends to meander and wind at times. It’s name is Circumstance. The last road is a perimeter like roadway, each of the other roads intersect with this road at some point and this road ALWAYS circles back to God’s Grace. This road is called Gratitude. All of these roads intersect each other at different places and each has an impact on the other.

Our lives are often lived in our circumstances. We are walking or driving along straight and smooth, something happens, a bump in the road, a sickness, or a tragedy and we are at a fork in the road. Which way will we choose to go? Will we go with the west fork or the east fork? For those of us who know God and have trusted Jesus, will we trust His promises? Will we see His grace and allow it to take us to gratitude? Will we take a turn on gratitude, knowing He is good and trust Him until we reach the path of God’s Grace. Will we possibly take the more winding path of West Circumstance taking the long way to God’s Grace and eventually finding our way to Gratitude. There is also the option of just staying on the road of our circumstance, east or west and continuing on their long paths and totally miss God’s Grace and Gratitude.

For me, I have chosen different options including the absolute longest roads back to His grace and to gratitude in a few cases. Trust me that one is not a healthy one!  After many trials and troubles and tragedies  it is my desire to take the shortest, straightest route to see Him bring grace and glory from both the good circumstances and the bad. Do I want difficult circumstances? Are you kidding me, no! Can I give thanks in a hard time? Maybe, maybe not. Can I believe that despite tragedy God is always good? Yes, He has proved it again and again. Can I believe He can take the worst circumstance and bring something good from it or despite of it? Yes, I have seen it and personally experienced it.  I write this today with a broken heart. Our small town has experienced tragedy today. While I was writing this, a wonderful man, a friend that owns our local jewelry store was viciously gunned down as four males decided that their desires and wealth or lack of was more valuable than his life. Three of them are on the loose. Tragedy!!! Heartbreak!!! Be assured, this does not change God’s Goodness!! This is a product of a fallen world and a culture that has come to value things and use people, a culture where wrong is accepted as right and right is judged as wrong. We can not blame God for these things when we are the ones who choose our own paths! We can strive to make good and right choices and teach others within our influence to do likewise.
I am not an artist, but they might look like this:

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An Advance Not a Retreat

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This past week, I was blessed to attend the SHINE Conference at Celebration Church in Jacksonville, Florida with three dear friends and about 42 other beautiful ladies from our church that I also call friends! It was simply amazing. The first image I notice as I enter the building is a beautiful life-size wedding dress that you would never suspect from a few feet away was made of paper and decorated with a trail of paper flowers cascading down the front. The next sight was a huge cloud structure hanging from the high ceiling and suspeded from those clouds were letters dangling at different lengths. One of the letters caught my eye! It said, “Do you not know, I have loved you with an everlasting love!” This is based on the scripture in Jeremiah 31, ” 2 This is what the Lord says:“The people who survive the sword will find favor in the wilderness; I will come to give rest to Israel.” 3 The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying:“I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.4 I will build you up again, and you, Virgin Israel, will be rebuilt. Again you will take up your timbrels and go out to dance with the joyful.”  I took this very personally, you see, there were no less than twenty letters hanging down from this cloud but my eyes were drawn to and captivated by this one alone! I was soon to see the theme of the Conference was Wonder, what a way to begin on this journey!  Now, looking back, I know that the Lord was preparing my heart for what would be to come!

One of my first take away’s as Session One began was: “Don’t let the mundane get in the way of the magnificent; and Don’t let the magnificent become mundane!”  How appropriated to start of with a directive not to let the wonder and magnificence of God’s touching my heart through the simplicity of the beautiful decorations; a reminder that we are the Bride of Christ, precious in His sight and in the sight of Father God, slip away!! He sings over each of His Beloved.

 Zephaniah 3 (GW)  ‘17 The Lord your God is with you. He is a hero who saves you. He happily rejoices over you,renews you with his love, and celebrates over you with shouts of joy.”  
Some translations use, “He sings over you.”
 Oh what freedom and joy we would know if we would just step into His Word seeking to learn all about His character and to fully know how much He loves us and who we are and who we can become in Him! What a difference it would make in our lives to fully realize that we are  adopted by God, daughters of God; betrothed to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords as part of the Bride of Christ (His Church)!  Is it possible to truly grasp He really does love us with an everlasting love? That He calls us His beloved? Perhaps He even calls us ‘My Princess’? Imagine for a moment, if you dare that right this minute He is with you; your hero coming to rescue and save you; that He is rejoicing over you with singing; renewing you with His love and celebrating over you with shouts of joy! Can you imagine just how much that one verse could change our lives? He really does love us and His plans for us are for good, are you game to find out what His Word says about how precious you are in His sight? I promise it will be the adventure of a life time!!
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He who observes the Wind

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He who observes the wind [and waits for all conditions to be favorable] will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap. As you know not what is the way of the wind, or how the spirit comes to the bones in the womb of a pregnant woman, even so you know not the work of God, Who does all. In the morning sow your seed, and in the evening withhold not your hands, for you know not which shall prosper, whether this or that, or whether both alike will be good. Truly the light is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the sun. (Ecclesiastes 11:4-7 AMP)

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After an incredible road trip filled with fun and laughter and only a few hours sleep, I awoke to the soft chime of my alarm. I then did something that I have not done in a while…I was responsible to wake up the other ladies so that we could enjoy a beautiful sunrise. What a beautiful reminder of how great our God is!! Above verse 5 says, “As you know not what is the way of the wind, or how the spirit comes to the bones in the womb of a pregnant woman, even so you know not the work of God,” I began to ponder the works of God all around us as we watched the sun peak over the horizon and bring warmth to our hearts and our bodies.

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We followed the beautiful adventure with with an early breakfast, followed by an amazing walk on the shore. I was completely stunned by the incomparable beauty surrounding us, by the great complexity of God’s creation all around us, and yet also by it’s surreal simplicity. All around us, creation was doing exactly what the Creator had purposeed! Nothing more and nothing less. What a wonderful lesson we humans can learn from such an observance.
  • What if we uncomplicated our lives by seeking out what our Creator’s purpose for us is?
  • What if we choose to Love God, love people, and seek that purpose and only that purpose?
  • What if we lay down our comparison of ourselves to others and quit striving and simply did what we were created to do?
  • How about we reflect on our expectations of others and their expectations of us and got rid of the unreasonable ones so that we could just our true selves?

Would this simplify our lives, decrease our stress, increase joy and happiness in our lives? I am betting the answer is unequivocally yes!! How much different life would be if we simply did just what we were created to do? Maybe you are already there but today I realized I am not. Can we take some time to realize we are not human doings but human beings? Today, I am taking time out by the pool, enjoying the shade and resting in Him, reflecting on who I am in Christ Jesus and being content to just be. No unreasonable expectations, no pressures, just resting in being His creation.

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