Wednesday, January 27, 2016

Wash me and I will be clean. Whiter than snow.



My daughter's house.




I love, when it snows.  I don't know where I was exactly, but without warning.  Somewhere on my way between home and the store, large white glistening flakes began to fall.   I was excited and continued into the store with the thoughts that we could be house bound for a couple of days.  Just the walk from my car to the store was like a winter wonder fairy land.  I loved it.  I felt the cold melting on my face and I took a deep inhale of life.

By morning the farm was breath taking.  One reason I love the snow is because of taking pictures.  I had hoped all of us at the farm,  could gather in the snow in the afternoon.  My husband knew of my plans and he said, if you want to get those pictures you better go ahead.  The snow is melting fast.


As I approached the other side of the farm, I began to pray...Lord let me see your beauty.  Let me see with your eyes.  The snow is melting and I don't see it.

 I parked the car and walked around with my camera, scripture began to come to my mind.  Then roll off of my tongue.  I was singing and worshiping God, to Him, in the most beautiful moments.  It was moments I won't soon forget.  Time seemed to stand still.

It came to me in the mindfulness of it all...That is what we are.  We are washed whiter than snow.  We are the new fallen snow.  These truths sank deep within my being and brought such happiness and freedom.  All I could do was experience the truth I knew to be true.  Tears began to stream down my cheeks.  It was such a epiphany.  I hesitated and drew it all in rhythm .  All  at once I was fully known and fully loved.  Such a joy came over me.


I took a quick glance down the drive, stood and focused.  It was muddy, dirty and messy.  It was hard on my heart and my imagination. The beauty that I saw just a short while ago seemed to have vanished before my eyes.  The snow was melting away.  Somehow in the ugliness I was captured, but in another way.  The scenery I had just froze in time, within my camera, moments later, was gone.

How quickly we forget... who we really are "in Christ".  The thought of being forgiven makes no real impact and brings no relief or change in our lives.  No freedom.  No joy and peace and contentment.

When our hearts begin to receive all God has for us in Christ...We begin to know and see who we really are.  Who God created us to be.  Our love is becoming perfected.  We sense a true caring for others more than ourselves.  The chains fall off and we began to take risk we have never taken before.
Gods will becomes ours.  His love for His people and us become ours for Him and others.  We take on the beauty of our Creator in fresh, new confession and repentance and faith.  It is a life long journey of knowing and understanding what Christ has done for us at Calvary.  But we begin to see evidence of these things.  The person of Christ lives through us.  We grasp a taste of what we truly mean to Him and how very much He cares.  That He is so for us.

I can only worship and trust my God who is full of mercy who has brought me to this place in my life time of loving Him.  He has breathed life into these dry bones.  Rescued me over and over again from death itself.  He has brought order in my confused world.  Only He can bring goodness out of me.

When we believe the lies that we do not have purpose and are not loved.  The dirt, guilt and shame of our once, delighted in selves, take over.  We forget the promises God has made to us.  We forget our inheritance.  That we will reign with Christ.  That all He has is shared with us.  Even His glory is to be manifested in us.  Our Heavenly Father loves us as He loves His own Son.  His very Spirit dwells within us never to leave.


We must remind each other of the good news of the Gospel.  That Christ died for sinners.  That we are righteous...His perfect life is ours and our sin is His.  We are a new creation.  We have a new heart and the mind of Christ. He is praying for us. It is finished.  It is completed.  We are delighted and loved.  All we have to do is believe within hearts.  Live it out through each and every day, in the power of the Spirit.  That others may worship Him.


This is what I saw on that Day!


















Friday, January 22, 2016

Off with the old, on with the new!



Good morning!  I have been really busy with my time away from blogging.  I believe God is giving me some direction in the way I am to go here.  I am excited and just want to follow through and see what God is up to.

Just some thoughts...

I have had some wonderful teachers and preachers in my life.  I still look to them all and will continue to do so but...I have realized that the Spirit is my teacher.  There are lots of things I have thought about in the past.  I felt like scripture lined up with it.  But it might not be the norm.  

What I have wondered is how much our society has made up laws for us to live by.  Some of it seems to me to be a day and age thing.  I will explain later but I hope this will set some of us free to love God and love others better.

I want you to feel free to disagree with me.  For sure I do not know alway the right thing and the right way so we need each other.  I would love your comments on what you are seeing in the scripture and lets wrestle with it a while.

Another day...

One other thing I would like to talk about is how to love our husbands and our children.  How to allow the Lord to build our home.  The next thought may run into this one.  How to make our house a home.  How to do hospitality and not just entertain.

I want to be more creative this year...

 I want to do a little fresh look to my living area and not spend a lot of money.  I have some thoughts and have been on the computer and magazines and praying just the direction to go.

I want to give some before and after pictures and see which way to go.  I would love your thoughts.

And then...

Being more creative this year is going to be a stretch for me because I am not necessarily creative by nature.  But I believe it is good for my mind and soul to be so.

We might cover ways to serve others.  Crafts.  Time alone with the Lord.  I might just share pictures and or give thoughts the Lord is giving me about some new to do in my day.  Again I would love to hear from you.

We might visit some homes of my friends.  Share with you their homes, ideas and creativity.  How they spend their time with the Lord and friends and family.  It will not to be to show off pretty homes although some maybe.  But it will be there place to meet with the Lord.  Their cozy spots, comfort zones for them and friends.  It maybe a wonderful family room or it maybe a walk in the woods or a swing on a porch or a rock or flowers they sit by; their kitchen and cooking ideas.  It maybe their ministry or place they work.  Thing God has taught them and how He has met them in the struggle and pain.  Their joys and delights.  Their own gifts and creativity God has given them.  I really don't know.  Lets just see what God does.


I would love to have a new blog.  Right now I do not have the resources but would you pray that God would do that if it is in His plan.  I have thought a lot about this.  I would like for the title to be something like "Home is where Gods heart is".  I have also thought about "Home is where our heart is".  I would love any suggestions.  Be creative here to.  Think spark and spunk!

So we will see how it goes.  I am not sure when to start or how to.  So I need prayer for that too.  Please pass the word and invite other women to come along.  You men are invited.  I would love to have your opinions and give some to your wife or girlfriend.  But this is mostly going to be to women.

We need each other.  To teach, encourage and to give truth in love to one another.  I cannot do this without you and the Spirit so pitch in.  Any extra ideas you might enjoy reading or any gifts you might have to share please do and come along.  

Can't wait to hear from you and the Lord...

I am praying God will take what little I have in my hand and multiply it.  That He will bring His goodness and mercy and blessing through this to many.  That the gospel will go forth in the power it is.  That I would be obedient to where He is leading.  That you might find great joy in it and in Him through this adventure.










Friday, January 15, 2016

Deeper Surrender



I am taking some time off this week so I will not be writing for this time.

Blessings my friends.








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Friday, January 8, 2016

Beauty in the Beast



Gods beauty is everywhere...

This trip showed me a picture of heaven and Gods beauty.  I not only had beautiful scenery but I was

removed from hard circumstances.  It was absolute bliss.  I had such a wonderful time with great

people.  There was no disagreements, no pain, no suffering, no hunger, no physical hardship for me.

It was bigger than life.


Then I returned to real life...

Upon reentering life when I returned to South Carolina, real life began to happen.  I was confronted

with the effects of a sick dog being nursed at my home.  Of Christmas now dead and still up, to be

taken down.  With the reminder of high cholesterol from one doctor and a dental appointment from

another that is never good.  With paying for last minute Christmas that was bought, mail that had to

be sorted through, clothes to be washed, and on and on life confronted me.


Where is the beauty now?

The question entered my mind...where is the beauty now.  I had a taste of heaven but now reality.

What has God shown me about Himself and living this life in the world but not of the world?

I ask myself where is the beauty amongst the pain and the suffering?  The world of sin, abuse,

addiction, the dying, the wars and rumors of wars?  Among the hardships of no jobs, and broken

homes, and the widows and the terminally ill?  The fighting and conflicts and the depression and

mental illness?  The suicide and murders and abandonments, the stealing and lies and hopelessness?


Where He is, there is beauty.

I am reminded that God is beauty wherever He is or has been.  This life can be a beast!  Even in a sin sick, fallen, broken, cursed world there is redemption.  There is restoration and beauty He brings in the midst of ashes.

There is light in the dark world of hate and revenge and bitterness and anger.  There is peace and joy

in trusting the One who holds our future in His loving, caring, powerful hands.  There are gifts to be

used to bring freedom to the captive and liberty to those in bondage.  There are songs to be sung and

dances to be done among those whose lives are in shambles and see no end to the long road of

disgrace and unhappiness.

There still is creation that speaks of His love.  Of His gifts of creation to be enjoyed in food, and

drink, in our senses of taste and feel and touch and hear.  Gifts of being creative and learning and

teaching and growing into His likeness.  Of love and laughter and acceptance of a good friend or

a selfless family who longs to bring Him glory.  Where the self centeredness and selfishness dies

for the betterment of others.

There is not greater beauty than being in His presence and having the promise of the Promise Keeper,

God Himself.  Of the indwelling of His Spirit and the comfort and healing He brings to us all who

were doomed for hell.  The longing for eternal life and glory to be revealed in us there to honor and

worship Him forever.


Of the blessings and workings of Him in everyday life...

The joy we have and opportunity to join Him in the bringing of His kingdom in the here and now.

There is no greater joy than serving Him and others.  Of receiving all He has for us in the cross.  Of

Him meeting our every need in Him.  Of soaking in His love and provision and Him sustaining us

and giving us a strength and power and wisdom we do not have.  Of stepping out in faith and even

in the fear and seeing Him bring miracle after miracle among those we love and hurt for.  Doing

the impossible in a world that has rejected Him.

I think of the new fallen snow and the forgiveness and cleansing He brings into our lives.  Freeing

us from guilt and shame and hidenness and the walls of protection we have build around ourselves.

The trama of failure and mistakes and regret.  He brings out of it all beauty.  The creator, sustainer

of life and breath is our beauty.  He raises the dead, gives sight to the blind and ears to the deaf.

He softens the hardest hard heart and gives humility to the most prideful and self righteous.  He has

shown us a way to deal with anger, anxiety, fear, and unbelief and sin and the effects others sin has on

 us.  He is a Father to the fatherless, a husband to the widow and not married and a best Friend to

those whow have none.

He has shown us coming to Him in it all,  is the only way.  Taking part in community, His word and

His Spirit.  Through personal relationship with Him and others.


He is the beauty.  He is the answer.  He is the

                                                             King of all Kings

These are the things He taught me through His gift.




























He placed HIs love on me. It is that love that is seeing me through...

Dear friends I have prayed for you many times that you may not lose heart. Phil 4:13 Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through a...

"The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." 1 Samuel 16:7