God's Faithfulness

Again I am posting a poem written many years ago. It is a reminder of my unsecured relationship with God; when I felt very much alone in my struggle with sin and forgiveness. The abyss between how I was and what I wanted to be seemed never to end. I am so very thankful for my Jesus unrelenting love and patience. I never want to be in that place again! 

Many times I have promised,
Scraps of paper tossed aside,
Wishing wells and fairy tales,
Never seeing what's inside.

You vowed you'd never leave;
I prayed I'd do the same.
I didn't know what faithful meant.
and played you as a game.

I was angry when you smiled.
The sun was not my friend,
but you just kept on loving me,
and turn my world on end.

I'll tell you what amazes me,
no matter what I've done,
you stand before your open door,
calling me toward home.

It's your faithfulness that keeps me now,
your faithfulness, that draws apart.
It's your faithfulness, so much faithfulness,
that breaks my heart.


copyright 10/5/2015

Live In Love

When we strip everything down to the bottom line, what is man's basic need? Is our basic need money? Is it a husband or wife, a house with a picket fence? 

We can have everything this world offers, but unless we know love, we often find we are still miserable; and searching for the meaning of life. Babies die for the lack of it; children grow up filled with hate because they have never experienced what true love is, so they lash out in bitterness of heart. We create a replica of love and think we have arrived, but soon find out the object of our affection is altogether human and transitory, so we turn from it disappointed.

People spend millions of dollars on psychologists, doctors, prescriptions, and books of self-help and philosophy along with a myriad of other things to bring light into their dark place. 

"What in this world is life all about?" is the cry of millions.

Where can we find the true meaning for our existence?

The answer is right in front of us where it has always been. Unfortunately, most of us turn our heads because we have had a negative experience where we have seen hypocrisy 
displayed from someone we've trusted. 

The answer is God. Yup, the One you have grown complacent about or perhaps even grown to hate. Or perhaps the One you just never took the time to really know. 

It is far easier, we think, to forge our own way. "God is love, whoever lives in love, lives in God, and God in him." (1 John 4:16)  He is the only one that will never leave me or forsake me. He is the only one who never lies to me, is the same yesterday, today and forever. Jesus is the only one who can change my darkness into light, carry my heavy burdens for me without payment or price. He is the only one that loves me with a love everlasting, that changes me from the inside.

Why, oh why, do we give up on God so quickly and cling to our own willpower and determination as if we have had great success with that? 

Why do we make something so simple so difficult?

copyright 10/30/2015

  

Trick Or Treat

The dogs I house-sit for often teach me meaningful spiritual truths.

When the two dogs are out playing, running or wrestling, and it's time to come in, I will start by calling for Henry. Henry is the youngest and most apt to listen to my voice. 

The dogs have long since understood that I am the master, the alpha dog, and obedience is rewarded for those that respond. Yet even with that understanding, the dogs seem to wrestle with the decision to obey, much like we, as humans, struggle with that on a regular basis. 

When I call Henry, I do so by name and tell him to come. He stops what he's doing and looks right at me. That immediate response raises my hopes for a return. But then he looks at Cassie, the older larger dog, who is bounding off through the grassy acreage in pursuit of greater pleasures. Henry will then look back at me and then again at his older mentor and then bound out to meet her.  

After a few attempts he finally responds to my commands and he and Cassie come inside. But it is not without taking a few moments to decide if he wants to obey or not. 
 
There is a lure for independence and the desire to be the one to call the shots in even the animals we seek to govern. We house them, feed them, love them, accept them, want them, and have rules for them to follow because we want to protect them. There is a treat that awaits them upon obedience. But they often see my call to them as a sort of trick to lure them into my control and away from their freedom and enjoyment.  
 
There is a decision to be made here for more than just the animals in our care. What would you choose?  To believe God's care for us is a trick or accept the benefits of obedience?   Trick or treat...



copyright 10/25/2015

Confounded Laws

The universe is made up of laws in order for it operate harmoniously. Correct?

when I choose to jump from my house top I expect to hit the ground. If I brake my legs in the process, I don't blame God for breaking my legs because I know I violated one of the universal laws, the law of gravity.

When I choose to violate one of the moral laws set up for man to live in harmony with each other, I expect, or at least hope to get away with it. why is it we blame God for the losses and pain we experience as a result? What's with that anyway?

When I choose the action, I'm also choosing the consequences.



copyright 10/26/2015

Expect Great Things

As a child I would love to go to town with my mother. I wasn’t very interested in shopping, but was utterly fascinated with the people I saw walking down the street. I wanted to know who they were. What did their faces tell me? What about the way they walked?  What did their eyes reveal about the kind of person they were?  What kind of mood were they in?  What story lay beyond the externals of their appearance? 

Early on, my explorations revealed an understanding that expectations greatly affected people’s relationships and how they chose to act.  Those expectations also affected the way they ultimately presented themselves to others…sweet and lovely, or sour and cantankerous.  Their attitudes determined by perceived and unfulfilled expectations were evident even as they walked down the street.

I have a saying I often use — expect great things — driven by a firm belief that God is pleased when we come to Him expecting great things.  This expectation we have for God’s goodness is quite the opposite of the pressure we place on our human relationships.  Grand expectations from spouses or friends will result in unfair demands or strained relationships because of failed expectations.  What we expect from each other can be unfair or insensitive or unbalanced because every one has experienced a different life story that has shaped their limitations or ability to give of themselves.  But our God is different.  His story is written in the Bible for all to read.  His gifts; His abilities; His limitations; He’s an open book.  

I envision a smile across the face of God when we trust Him completely with the greatest of all of our desires. Webster says that to expect is “to think something will certainly happen.”  When I pray to my God, I certainly expect Him to act.  And because He is faithful, He always acts.  No matter what we’re praying about, He will move, for our good and for humanity’s good.

Now comes the consummate question: Do we expect God to work as we expect, or as He understands that we need? You can see that the earlier definition of “expect” gives us the answer. “To expect is to think something will certainly happen.”  It doesn’t say that we should expect a specific thing to take place, but simply something.  God is working toward answering our prayer for help, not toward giving us whatever we want or demand.  

With human relationships, if we are not receiving what we feel is what we deserve, we are tempted to walk away from that relationship and maybe never return.  If we treat God in the same way — by walking away for good — we end up robbing ourselves of a great blessing.  We will never know what our Lord had in store for us, something better than what we were expecting because He knows what will ultimately make us happy. Yes, there are scenarios that would seem to belie what I just said, such as the loss of a child.  But we cannot see the end from the beginning as Jesus can.  We do not see what lies just around the corner that would be far more devastating if we only knew. 

We cannot always expect people to satisfy our every need, but we can always expect our Savior and Friend to satisfy our every need! 

Expectations.  What a complex word. Or is it?

Prisoner At Large

I wrote this piece about 20 years ago. As you can see, I was in a very different place than I am now. I wish to share this  with all those who feel trapped in a place they see as impossible. When we finally allow our heavenly Father and best Friend to the governing of each day, each obstacle, each overwhelming circumstance, we will find what we are looking for. We think we have to find a solution, we have to decide, to do, to set goals, we have to make something happen. But we don't, He does, and will!

There is a road I've never taken;
There is a way that seems less sure.
Reports are not exciting
with struggles to endure.

Is it possible to let go of me,
and let another be in charge?
I'm afraid of what might be;
afraid of what I cannot see,
yet something keeps on calling me.
I'm a prisoner at large.

Is there a word that can be spoken,
Is there a prayer that can be said
to loose this bound-up heart of mine;
breath life into the dead?

Let me hear the voice that whispers,
Let me reach the hand that saves,
I am longing for peace,
I am poised for release.
Will this fight ever cease?
I'm a prisoner at large.

I'm a prisoner at large,
Trapped inside of me.
Moving around, working the crowd,
Looking to be free.
I'm just a prisoner at large.

What Love Is

               

Wandering your world

in search of love? 

Let's speak of its meaning.

Let's ask What is love?

It is the tree in winter, 

ever holding its green,

The bloom in the desert,

with fragrance unseen.

It is the voice of peace

along darkened streets.

The hope of tomorrow,

for the wayward and weak.

It rises from valleys,

and rests in the storm;

it is balm for the weary,

and strength for the worn.

Love brings wanderers near,

makes cloudy skis clear;

believes everything possible

for trust without fear.

It will never be found

when you selfishly seek it.

But will be waiting for you, 

when you graciously give it.

What more can I tell you?

what more can I say?

Love is the picture

of God and His ways.

copyright 10/4/2015

To Praise Without

Having a place to go 

at the end of the day,

is called home.

Having some one there 

who loves you,

is called family.

Having a constant, 

understanding friend,

is called blessing.

Praising God when 

none of these gifts exist,

is called trust.

copyright 9/26/2015

Waking Up To Reallity

 "That's so cool, isn't that sweet; I wish I had a relationship like that. It's no secret that he loves her. He talks about her all the time and they've been married for years now. It seems the longer they are together the more they love each other."

Those of us who are watching such couples applaud them. We cheer them on and have a desire to replicate such a relationship. Even though such a devoted relationship is a rarity in this world, we wish for such a blessing to be ours as well. 

It is not considered weak to love another with such devotion. We would never consider them trying to draw attention to themselves or entering into this relationship to make themselves feel good or even that they are just faking it. You can only fake love for so long. True love is an internal thing. Fake love is an external effort that is impossible to maintain forever.

Why is it, then, when one falls in love with Jesus with this same devotion, some in the world view it with disbelief, disdain and mockery? Why does the world see a love affair with Jesus as a weakness, or an embarrassing spectacle? They want to know: How can you devote so much time to this religious stuff? They say: There are far more important things you could be devoting your time to. According to a world's point of view, to step out of "normal" pursuits of this world is just plain stupid!

They just don't get it!

The love relationship Jesus invites us into doesn't mimic the relationships we experience with each other. It is the other way around. God gave us the ability to love each other here to help us see what a relationship with God might look like. But even if it may be similar, there are vast differences as well. Our relationships here on earth are temporary and often dependent on circumstances, whereas our relationship with God begins here, but carries on throughout eternity with far greater benefits and unhindered by circumstance. 

Inconceivable? Not at all. Just like the Matrix, we need to wake up to what reality really is.

copyright 9/19/2015

The Tower

I heard the story of the last survivor who was rescued after 27 hours in the rubble of the collapsed towers on 9/11. Realizing she was going to die she started talking to an unfamiliar God. She had heard about Him and how He had performed miracles for others so she told Him she did not want to die.  She was a desperate mother calling upon Him to help her. 

After a time she realized someone had found her. A man had moved close enough to touch her, encouraging her that everything was going to be okay. He even reached out His hand and held hers for support. He invited her to keep hold of His hand until help arrived. She asked him what his name was and learned that it was Paul.

Finally, the fire-fighters cleared away the rubble enough to set her free and bring her out of that dark place and  into light and safety. As they were loading her into the ambulance, she ask them to stop so she could thank Paul, the man who had held her hand through the awful 27-hour nightmare. They said that there had not been anyone else with her and there was no fire-fighter present whose name was Paul.  

Proverb 18:10 says, “The name of the Lord is a fortified tower. The righteous run to it and are safe.” This precious lady called out to that name and He came to be her fortress and hold her hand. 

Man-made towers crumble and fall, but the name of Jesus Christ remains the same yesterday, today, and forever. Jesus can take on the form of maybe Paul or Dick or Jane.  But one thing is for sure: He will hold your hand for however long it takes to bring you to the light and to safety.

The love of Jesus changed her that day and now she proclaims that name because He became her fortified tower.

copyright 9/12/2015

  

Dark Corners

The light of God's presence illuminates

the dark corners of our lives.

For those who wish them not revealed,

the light becomes an offense.

copyright 9/1/2015

Our Words

The greatest influence in our life is our own words. Once something is said we can never take it back, yikes! Saying things we wish we could take back may go so far as to destroy a relationship, which changes things in our lives forever.

Sometimes we voice an opinion that is similar to the opinion of the one we are speaking with, but given the time to think it over we realize it really isn't our opinion at all. However, once it is spoken we now feel we must defend it rather than change it. 

What we say does influence us positively or negatively. That is why the wisest man who ever lived said, “A word fitly spoken and in due season is like apples of gold in settings of silver.” Proverbs 25:11  

Consider the power of words. Especially the ones we speak!

8/28/2015

8/28/2015

Lonely

What do you do when you get lonely? What does it mean to be lonely anyway? Does it mean you’re alone?  Is being alone a bad thing? 

I’m quite sure there is a difference between being alone and being lonely. one is a fact; the other a feeling.

I don’t think I’ve ever given this much thought, so let’s reason this out together. Together. That sounds nice. So if we do this together, then we wouldn’t be lonely. 

When someone is lonely they are likely missing something or someone, right? But what if they are not missing anything in particular and yet are still encompassed by an air of loneliness? 

I think God has something to say about this subject: “The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”  Deuteronomy 31:8.

Sometimes we forget that the Lord is always with us.  That knowledge will help keep the feeling of loneliness away. For it is indeed a fact that we are not alone. Ever.

copyright 8/18/2015

Just A Smile

Look at what a smile can do.

It says that someone cares for you.

Even through the darkest day,

it says the sun is on it's way.

It has the power to move you on.

It has the power to sing a song.

So smile today at all you see,

and know your smile will set one free.

8/13/2015

Full Of Praise

There are times when I am so full of praise for Jesus because of the love He has lavished upon us.  In times like those, I am at a loss to know how to express the magnitude of it all. 

When I read David’s psalms, I can feel his struggle to empty his spirit into words that would do justice to His Savior.  I recognize the overwhelming desire to express love and commitment to his faithful Lord.

I can understand the passion Handel felt as he grasped the pen and sat to write what was bursting from his heart and soul.  As the ink flowed onto paper, the magnificent, God-inspired “Messiah” was created and continues to resonate with my own praise.  

There are many avenues through which we can express our love, whether it be through poetry, music, art or a well-delivered speech. Jesus’ own desires are satisfied when He sees us pour ourselves out in word and song, and in deeds and acts of kindness, for the sake of His children that are walking in blindness.  His heart is filled with joy beyond comparison, beyond words and beyond music.  And through this expression we are united in love with the One that created everything worth praising.  

8/12/2015

  

What A Life

I don't know how to sing,
but my heart does.

I don't know how to pray,
but my spirit does.

I don't know how to speak,
but my love does.

I don't know how to fight,
but the Word does.

I don't know how to win,
but the Lord does.

Now, I know how to dance.
What a life.


copyright 8/4/2015

From The Clouds - 5

It was a warm afternoon and I was sitting out on the built-in bench that borders the deck, facing the mountain.  It's not a large mountain but it forms a grand centerpiece for the view to the north of the property.  As you can probably ascertain, I am again house-sitting two dogs and one cat on 7 acres of peaceful loveliness. 

I was swinging my legs, as a contented child would in the summer sun, when I noticed a round portal in the white cloud before me.  The message that quickly came to mind was:  “The window of opportunity is quickly closing.”

I laughed and said to myself, “Okay, now you’re just making it up. A round portal, a window of opportunity?  How obvious is that?  Besides, how many windows are even round, right?” 

Well, I guess Jesus took issue with my doubting heart because I watched as the round window suddenly became a perfect square.  A moment later, the perfect square formed into a perfect rectangle.  And when I say perfect, I mean the corners were perfectly squared; not a single rounded corner!  That was certainly something I had never seen before. 

As I watched this picture moving before my very eyes, the open portal closed and morphed into the shape of a bell. The words I heard next startled me.  I sat there motionless for quite a while.  No swinging of my legs anymore.  The unmistakable message was different then all the rest in that this was the first time God had given me a command.  A command to do something. 

"Sound the alarm!"

I thought to myself, How do I do that?  

I realized that whenever given the opportunity, I can tell the story of the messages God has given me from the clouds. I know to some it will seem as foolishness, but to me it couldn’t be more real or serious.  I know the one who shared His thoughts with me, and I am most humbled to think He would share them with someone so utterly unlike Himself.   And now I have shared them with you. 

Please feel free to share these warnings with others.  Time is short, and now is the time to come out of the shadows and voice a stand for Jesus. After all, He didn’t hesitate to give it all for us.

  

copyright 7/27/2015

He's Got This

Fear is the most deadly emotion a person can struggle with in their spiritual life. Fear has the power to incapacitate to the point of rendering total disability.

Fear has a voice and it speaks.  But the voice of fear is not the voice of God. 

God has nothing to do with fear that assails the place where we are standing, making it impossible to move forward.  The enemy tries to paralyze us under the guise of “caution” while Jesus beckons us to change our position, our thinking, our ways of doing things. 

Fear robs us of the blessings that await those who respond to the sweet voice that gently bids us "this is the way, walk in it." (Isaiah 30:21) 

Fear has eyes. Fear sees what may happen if we choose to step outside our comfort zone. Fear of the unknown is terrifying because we might lose control.  And after all, it is the loss of controlling of our own lives of which we are the most fearful, is it not?

Fear… think about it.

How does this insidious invasion of our mind take place? When I am afraid, I desperately look for solutions to the problem.  I feel as if I must do something to counteract what might turn out to be hurtful or painful. Of course in attempting control of the situation my desire is to relieve the fear. 

What if I looked at God as a child looks at their mother or father?   What difference would that make? As a child, when afraid at night, I would run to my parent’s room seeking comfort and assurance. If I were too afraid to move, I would call out for my mamma to come to where I was.  I knew I could depend on her to come.

If, as a small child, I had stayed in my room, crippled by fear, I could have tried to control the situation by forcing myself to stay awake to insure that nothing would snatch me in the dark.  But that would be a foolish way for a child to deal with fear.
  

And yet, when gripped by fear, in our adult lives, our instinct is to take the control rather than take it to the Father. 

But the problem with that is that fear escalates when we depend on ourselves for the solution.  Our control does not dissipate the situation.  It does not make everything okay.  It just perpetuates the fears, growing them into irrational levels.

It is Satan’s gateway into our mind.  After all, spiritual warfare is the battle for the mind. 

So if we open the door to fear and choose to hang on to it, we allow the enemy to distort our ability to make good choices. He suggests all sorts of irrational “what ifs" in order to gain control.  Because, like it or not, whoever has control of the mind has control of us. But the choice of who we relinquish control to is ours to make.

But with God there are no irrational "what ifs," no “coincidences.”  Just the promise to guide our understanding and our decisions with His faithful hand. With God there are assurances and absolutes to hang on to.  He absolutely loves.  He absolutely works all things in our favor.  He absolutely forgives.  He absolutely frees. He absolutely directs us onto the right path and He absolutely never leaves us or forsakes us.  

So… Shut the door!…
  

Start choosing to open the door to Jesus and closing the door to fear. That decision is ours; the one thing we actually control. When that decision is solidified in our mind, God is then able to seal us with a seal of protection that is not penetrable by the enemy of fear. Jesus is emphatic in His statement in John 10:27, 28 "My sheep listen to my voice, I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand." 

copyright 7/17/2015

Love And Law

Obedience without a love relationship
capitulates to the letter of the law.

Obedience within a love relationship
results in the fulfillment of the law.

For without love the law is a set of rules.
with love the law is a natural offspring.



copyright 7/22/2015

From The Clouds - 4

When I began blogging about the clouds, I decided I would omit one of the five messages I had received from God.  I figured it wasn’t quite as meaningful as the rest.  Yet when I shared all five with the women in my study group, one of them was most impressed with the one I decided to omit.  So who am I to decide which of God’s messages I should share?  I understand, now, that all the messages He shared are equally important.  Otherwise, why would He have shared them.   

A couple a months ago I was looking out the window at a clear blue sky.  It was morning, and the day held promise to be beautiful and warm.  I thought about how it had been a while since I had received a message in the clouds.  As I looked at the open sky, I laughed and said to my Father, “It’d be pretty hard to speak through clouds that aren’t there, wouldn’t it.”  I went about my business, not giving it much more thought, since I didn’t know if the cloud messages were expected to continue or not.  Besides, there wouldn’t be a message in a clear sky anyway.  A few minutes later, I looked out the window once more and a smile spread across my face, for there in the middle of the sky was a small cloud in the shape of an “S.” 

Again I challenge you to consider what the "S" could represent. Actually this one is not as difficult as perhaps some of the others. Well, now that I know what it is, it doesn’t seem so difficult. 

So did you get any ideas?  

The right answer? 

Are you sure?

So the answer is……

**Soon**

I could feel His presence bending close to me, whispering, “Soon…”

A cloudless day wouldn’t stop my Jesus from sending forth His message.

The first message, was the warning of darkness swiftly covering the earth. 

Some time later came the second warning (or harbinger).  A great shaking was coming where we won’t be able to rely on any other person, church, denomination, belief, or theory. Our only safety is our trust in God alone.

The third cloud message was the four tornado-shaped clouds that represent the four angels of Revelation 7:1, holding back the winds of destruction on the earth for those servants who are not yet sealed.

And now the Lord of hosts has spoken again in His mercy, to warn us that these things are not far off in the future but SOON!  Yes, our God is merciful and not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.  He has given these warnings so we can prepare; for along with His mercy He is also just. 

There is a day of judgement coming soon. We must decide for whom we will stand and now He’s given us that chance to take that stand.  How gracious and all-loving and patient He is.  I don’t want to make Him wait any longer than He needs.  I choose Jesus.  Today.  

copyright 7/14/2015

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From The Clouds - 3

Early one morning I stepped outside, before the sun had risen, to let out one of the dogs where I house-sit.  Henry is the youngest of the two dogs and the most anxious to take care of his morning routine.  He has quite the fetish in regard to this morning (and evening) ritual.  He can't seem to bring himself to do his "duty" without me accompanying him.  I actually don't mind this deviation from the norm because it gives me the opportunity to start my day with Jesus in His Creation; to absorb His goodness through the sights and sounds that nature makes as it stretches, yawns, and rehearses bird scales to warm up the vocal cords for the day. Then at night, when the birds are singing their goodnight prayers, those few quiet moments literally calm the soul.  It also doesn't hurt that the house I house-sit is nestled in several acres of trees, grass and flowers. 

During those little morning and evening moments, I never fail to raise my eyes heavenward from whence my salvation comes.  It fills me with His presence and infuses me with love for my Creator and tender regard for His children.

But, what is this that stands in the Eastern sky so stark, so unexpected, so out-of-place; large and imposing?  Certainly nothing I had visually encountered before this morning. 

Several columns of cloud rose up, resembling the shape of a tornado. They were such a realistic replica that it would have been frightening had I not quickly reminded myself that we don't live in tornado country.  I knew they were meaningful, but for the first time, God did not say what they represented right away.

Since it was early spring and rather cool, I went inside by the fireplace to contemplate what I had just seen. What could these columns possibly mean? 

"You didn't count them." 

What? 

"You didn't count them," Jesus repeated. 

I didn't count the pillars did I?  I said. And since He brought that to mind, it must be important.

I grabbed a bag of garbage that was waiting to be taken out to the trash bins and headed outside.  Looking up I wondered if the formations would still be there. The winds would surely have disfigured those stately columns by now. But although they were altered to some degree, there were still quite clearly four tornado-shaped pillars of clouds. 

So there are four of them.  Okay.  I waited for some sort of response, but nothing more was said about it at that time.  A little later in the day, I drove to town and contemplated the mystery in the sky.  Suddenly the significance of the four pillars hit me with confidence. 

The four winds of strife.

Of course, the four winds of strife, what else would they be?

Revelation 7:1: "And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree." 

Revelation 7:2 goes on to say, "Then I saw another angel coming up from the east, having the seal of the living God.  He called out in a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm the land and the sea. 'Do not harm the land or the sea or the trees until we put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God.'"

We are beginning to realize the truth of what has been foretold.  Perilous times are before us as we see the growing number of incidents where nature seems out of control. Heaving and convulsing; groaning as if in labor.

Nature is not alone in visible signs of Jesus' return, but humanity's war against itself tells us more than we would like to know of our condition. I don't need to reiterate what they are, we all see and hear.

The interesting thing that I noticed about the scripture in Revelation 7:1 is that the warning was addressed to believers as opposed to non-believers. Because it was the believers that were not prepared for the sealing. That seems to indicate today's truth, that there are still many people in the church that are not ready.  Am I one of those?  

   

copyright 7/9/2015 

The One I Love

Let me tell you of the One I love.
Let me tell you of the beauty of His Holiness;
The symmetry of His affections toward
the blind, the deaf, the willingly wayward.

Let me tell you of the One I love.
Let me tell you of the beauty on His face;
the tenderness in His eyes toward those
who stumble and falter on their journey.

Let me tell you of the hands I love.
Let me tell you how He caresses the furrowed brow
when under duress and the strain of life,
with hands that gave His life for mine.

The majesty of His presence I love!
Let me tell you the glory of hearing His words;
of fellowshipping His heart to my heart.
I wish I could tell you of the One I love. 


copyright 7/08/2015

All In A Day

Some days, like today, bring tears of wonder at how God seems to empty Himself into the bread-basket of life; feeding, nourishing, satisfying all emptiness with abundant grace, power and love.  I long for moments like these to never be disturbed.
  

But then it happens…

The jarring sound of a text coming through that steals away the luxury of heavenly solace. People fighting, tearing each other apart with words that shred the heart, never to be retrieved again. The wounded lay bleeding, and my God looks at His children and rejoices with the one and weeps with the other all in the span of a few hours.  The one causes the rectory of the mind to flourish, the other wrenches life from it's socket and shatters sensitivity into seemingly irreparable pieces.

I have no answers, no words of consolation; I cannot fix it even though I desperately search for the wisdom to do so. All I can do is pray and love. Pray and expressly love hard enough and deep enough to make a difference. God said it would, so I will.

copyright 7/5/2015

From The Clouds - 2

If my first blog on how the Lord speaks to me through the clouds didn't cause you to turn and run, maybe you are up for a second encounter with the same God, different clouds.

A significant thing happened early one morning when I stopped to look out the window. As some of you know, I house-sit for a couple who travels a lot; mostly on business, occasionally for pleasure. 

This particular morning I was taken with the oddity of the cloud formation. Actually it wasn’t a single cloud formation, but the formation of a massive amount of tiny little clouds like polka dots.  Of course they were not uniformly round, but none-the-less, the sky was covered from east to west with a blanket of polka dots. What actually made this so interesting to me was that the polka dots were not connected. So it didn’t “kind of" look like polka dots, it literally looked like polka dots.

At that point I said to myself, "I don't think I've ever seen anything like this before."  So my question to God was, "What does this mean?" 

The answer came without hesitation.  

But before I tell you what He shared, I’m asking you, the reader, to go ahead and see if you can conjure up something that makes sense.  I have time.  I’ll wait.......

Take your time…

Just for fun, think about what polka-dotted clouds might mean…

Well, this is what Jesus decided to share with me:

 “There is a great shaking coming where no one will be able to depend on another person, denomination, group, creed, or anything else that man clings to for support, other than Jesus Christ and Him alone."

That made me pause and evaluate where I am in relation with Him.  Am I connected to my Lord with ties strong enough to hold me if I’m standing alone?  In unity with Jesus, the body of believers is held together by the Holy Spirit.  But when the church is scattered, once again, will I be able to stand for Jesus, based on the evidence of the knowledge of my relationship with Him?  Will I be able to stand for Jesus, without the support network of fellow believers?  Is my friendship with Him strong enough to endure that isolation?   If everything I see and hear contradicts what I know of my God, can I still stand?

It was at this point that I realized that this was not just a friendly game of Guess-What’s-in-the-Clouds, this was a serious warning and I needed to pay attention.

Up until now, I viewed the cloud messages as warnings but was not altogether sure what to do with them.  But I did share them with like-minded believers who would not automatically think I was moving too close to the edge of insanity. 

So there you have it. That's the second message I have to share with you. May I encourage you to spend some time in circumspection as to what this means for you?  Is the shaking a shaking of a church, all churches, denomination, or a world-wide shaking of Christianity, or something else? The whole sky was covered with individual polka dots.  Ask Him to share with you what it means for you.  Is the enemy trying to shake you loose from your moorings?

I have two more messages to share, unless He chooses to reveal more.  These are messages of warning, but also hope.  They are not intended to frighten or discourage.  So don’t let it daunt your spirit.  God’s grace is sufficient for each day.  His love will carry us through the worst of storms.  Hang on!

copyright 7/3/2015