New Year

Happy New Year to you dearest reader. I pray this year will be one of drawing ever closer to God. A year filled with His presence and tender moments sitting at His feet in the secret place. I pray God opens the windows of heaven above you and rains down His beauty (His delight, favor & approval) upon you as promised in Psalm 90:17.

A few seconds after midnight, I started on an excellent journey through His word. I started at the same point my group started...Genesis 1-2...the beginning. I believe God is taking us back to the beginning, back to the foundational teachings once again as a means of writing His word on our hearts to prepare us for this new year and the year to follow.

The #1 thing I have heard from many prophets for 2010 is "obedience". God is calling His church back to it's first love...back to Jesus. Let us all be obedient and run (not walk or delay) back to Jesus and be like Mary and sit at His feet...spending time in His presence listening and learning. Many blessings to each and everyone of you. Make you take the time to sit with our wonderfully Creative Creator re-learning the foundational teachings, seeing His big picture. Hugs

Life is but a vapor

God puts people in our lives to teach us things about ourselves, but also as His hands and His feet to mold and make our lives. April of 1998 God put a dear woman in my life. Dora Jean Carson, of whom I knew as Jeannie. She became my sister-in-law officially on September 19th, 1998. But she was my new friend in April. She opened her home and heart to me readily and we became good friends as well as family.

This week my beloved sister-in-law graduated and is now residing with Christ in heaven. She didn't face any challenge in life with fear, but with faith in the staying power of her Lord, Savior, Beloved Friend & Bridegroom King. Two weeks ago she was rushed to the hospital and was released this past Saturday. We spoke with her son Tuesday night and she was improving, Wednesday morning she was no longer here on earth with us. I am reminded that life is just a vapor, gone in an instant and we never know the day or hour; but that we need love and live like we never have before. Our days are full of opportunities to be God's hands & feet and we shouldn't waste a minute.

My heart is saddened at the loss here on earth of her sweet smile, her warm heart so generous and full of hospitality. She never knew a stranger and saw every opportunity to demonstrate God's love and compassion. She was bold in her faith and was never afraid to share the Gospel with anyone. I know she is a deposit in heaven, someone to cheer me on and pray for me daily.

I love you, Jeannie, my dearest sister and friend. You will be forever missed at the family functions, but you shall never be forgotten. Thank you for showing me the love of God like I have never seen it before, I pray I can pick up the torch you dropped Wednesday and to carry it on. You also showed me a mother's love and devotion to her children which was lacking in my own life. You saw the good in everyone and always pulled on the giftings of God in me; helping me to become the person I am at this moment. I will miss our discussions over a cup of coffee, sharing our faith and new revelations. Save a seat for me for I know I shall see you on the other side and you can show me your mansion when I get there. Give the Father & Jesus a big hug for me.

Facts vs. Truth

I have been quite busy these days. Separating facts from the truth. Just a personal observation, but facts change based upon a person's perception, education, environment, etc. But the Truth, well, He doesn't change. Jesus said "I AM the Truth, the Life, the Way. Jesus is the very embodiment of God, He became flesh to be with man and like the Father, Jesus is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. That means HE doesn't change.

Fact is, there are many "religions" out there for people to explore and experience. Truth is there is only ONE God, ONE Son, ONE Holy Spirit...ONE Truth. I pray eyes are opened, spirits are refreshed and Jesus, THE TRUTH, becomes known and is known by those in relationship with Him. Want to know more about Jesus...start with the Bible and the book of John. Many hugs!

Where I've Been

For the 2 that follow my blog, I am sure you have been asking the question "where are you and when are you going to post?" I have been busy seeking God and in prayer. I have been following the blog of the Kipp family and have been doing some major prayer to get them through this leg of the journey. For new folks....go to www.welovecarter.blogspot.com and you can read all about the Kipp family and their journey for a liver transplant for their son Carter. Shout out to the Kipps, many hugs dearest family & go Carter go!

I find that the local assembly I gather with is getting many requests for prayer in the areas of healing & transplants. So fellow prayer warriors keep a little boy named Logan in your prayers. He is a dearest friend's nephew and he has had many surgeries for brain tumors....he is scheduled for surgery again on August 21st. It is believed his mommy, Dawn, may have the same condition that causes tumors to grow in the brain, but she won't go have it checked out nor surgery done. Sounds to me some sort of generational curse thing going on, so help me pray and break this off this family.

Another one is a dear woman named Belinda who needs a kidney transplant. Many things need to fall into place for Belinda, so please pray and surround her family with prayer. Please pray a donor comes forth that will be a perfect match and that the kidney will become one with Belinda's body. There have been so many medical advances in this type of transplant. God is so moving amongst the medical community!

Now onto what I have been seeking God on. Well about 2 years ago God spoke to me to prepare a room for my stepson as he was coming to live with his father & I. I had kept it in prayer and was trying to sort out stuff that was stored in the second bedroom of a mobile home we were living in. Needless to say trailers don't have a long life expectancy! This trailer was falling apart as fast as we could make repairs, so I started seeking the Lord as to what His plan and His best was for our family and the word HE gave me. Some of you may cry out "stone her!" but hang on. God's words says we have not because we ask not! So I started asking...God what is the next step? Do I stay in what seems to be a money pit (as I bought the place on contract and it was mine 100%) or are You setting us up to move? If we are moving here is what I see we need in a new place, but is truly is of YOUR choosing. It is ok to pray for a new home and to specific with what your need is. Yes God knows your need before you do, but like any good parent God likes it when you ask for it. God is so awesome and He orchestrated our family relocating to the next county in a beautiful new to us home. This home is an older home that was remodeled and it had everything me & God talked about for the past 2 years!

Today is the day my beloved stepson comes to live with us! He is expected to arrive sometime this afternoon. He is his mother's firstborn and I am sure it is rough for Nadine to send him to us, so pray she will find peace in knowing he is coming into a home of love and he won't be denied any visitation with her. Nadine and I have a good relationship, we communicate well with one another concerning B and life in general. So help me pray her through this part of the transition. I am not sure if this is just for this school year, or if B will finish out his education here. But I know this is rough on Nadine.

I have been seeking God and His presence to make ready for this next part of the journey. Having a 15 yr old coming in to my life to help mold and make. I am prayerful that Dad & I can help him through these years of his life....hormones changing and girls, peer pressure and grades. Such a rough time in a young man's life and we are prayerful that our life will be a good example before him.

Well I must dash to get ready for church. Many hugs, many thanks for prayer. May God bless the 2 that follow this blog! ;o) But may He also bless each and everyone that finds this blog in the vastness of cyberspace!

Seeds of Revival & the Hurts of Jesus

I would like to say this past week has been a good one, it wasn't but in some sense it was. Sunday started off good. I got my usual time with the Father in word and prayer before the house awoke with the business of breakfast & showers before church. Sunday service praise and worship were awesome, I believe we did touch God's heart and made Him blush. Pastor's message was a good one about stinky people and how church is to respond to them. I got some prayer after service for strength to get through all the negative stuff at work. Everything was fine until......until I lost my temper with someone I hold dear to my heart, then everything went down hill from there. I had spent 3 days in tears and prayer, battling the nasty spirits of offense and pride. If you are wondering if I won....well the battle belongs to the Lord and my part was just to submit to His authority and let Him do the work within me.

I haven't read much this past week, it has been mostly prayer and seeking the Lord within prayer. To me prayer isn't speaking flowery words spoken to impress God or others; prayer to me is communicating with the Lord....speaking honestly what is in my heart and then the silent wait and the listening for when He speaks. So I hadn't read much of my devotionals....oh I kept up somewhat with the Daily Bread, but Oswald Chamber's & Mr. Evan's laid on the desk untouched until this morning. It was W. Glyn Evan's devotional book that spoke volumes to me this morning when I played "catch up" on what I didn't read this week. Two days' devotionals spoke the most....Seeds of Revival & The Hurts of Jesus.

Seeds of Revival showed me what had happened this past week. Before you poo poo me, hang on and let me explain. Revival isn't the one week out of the year to have feel good services....true revival according to W. Glyn Evan's is "anything but pleasant, it is a searching, searing time when God's holiness burns hotly against our sins. It is know that God is a consuming fire (Hebrews 12:29), knowing God's terror (2 Corinthians 5:11), and crying out "woe is me" (Isaiah 6:5)."

Mr. Evans goes on to explain "Revival has one chief aim--the removal of sin and the purifying of the believer. The message of revival is: What are you doing about your piled up sins? Revival is a sign that, because of His thinning patience, God has moved His people to confession. But it also means something else. God loves us so much that He is anxious to put us back int a right relationship with Himself. The seed of revival is the grief of the Holy Spirit; the confession of the people is the Spirit's grief vented. Only when the Spirit is "ungrieved" can blessing come"

Basically boiled down this past week is answer to prayer...some of it immediate answer which I need to learn to look for. I have prayed that God search my heart and transform me into Jesus' bride. God is reviving me in the true sense of the word. God is searching and searing, purifying me from sins of the flesh & world. Some where I grew dull hearing His voice...so He is shaking everything that can be shaken within me to get me to a new place, a new level of intimacy and hearing. Somewhere I gave place to anger and bitterness. The Spirit part of me wants to get there and quickly, but the fleshly part of me is trying to fight....so I am nailing my feet once again to His cross, I am nailing one hand and then handing the hammer to Him to nail the other. If you have a few moments free, please pray for me, I can use all the prayer I can get these days.

The Hurts of Jesus is another devotional from Mr. Evans. "Only human beings can become morally & spiritually better because of their pain. Unless I suffer grief, I am not likely to grow into a mature disciple of Christ. One of the greatest disappointments You can suffer, Lord, is to see me battle my griefs and yet not become better." Mr. Evans goes on to say "Jesus wounded Simon Peter with a look that drove him to tears, he wept bitterly (Luke 22:62). To be hurt by Jesus is the most exquisite hurt conceivable. The hurts of Jesus, if I accept them properly are the healings of tomorrow. I need His hurting to cauterize the shallow and superficial in my life."

The definition of disciple is a disciplined follower. I can honestly say I have been hurt by Jesus this week. I have been humiliated and humbled....no I won't go into details because to do so would be gossip. But I will say I surrendered. I keep surrendering to the Holy Spirit and what He is accomplishing in me and soon through me. I have been reaching out to my Lord, seeking to be a true disciple. Now I am being disciplined to follow. When one thinks of discipline their minds immediately recall a time when Mom or Dad spanked them. True discipline is focused on the child; about correcting & directly the child in the way he/she should go. So even though I got a "God spanking" this week, I know His focus is on me...on correcting my walk & relationship with Him...a course correction if you will for this journey.

One last thought...be careful what you ask for....you will eventually get it! Make sure you are ready to receive what you ask of God. His word promises that if you ask for bread He won't give you a stone, but give you exactly what you are asking for. Sometimes it will come by surprise upon you, but it always comes in His perfect timing. It won't ever look like what you imagined either, but will be orchestrated by His perfect design.

Lessons from a tree & a little boy named Carter

Ok so this might appear an unusual post, but heck my life is anything but usual. A couple months back we had some nasty storms rip through where I live. What once was a mighty maple tree was now a heaping mass of tree. But there were many lessons to learn from this tree. Ephesians 3:14-19 gives us some of the lessons of my tree...I won't post the scripture here, but encourage every reader to seek for him/herself!

One of the things I noticed about this tree is that it had a tremendous root system. When it came down it didn't come down because of bad roots! Half of the truck is still standing upright in the ground. Ephesians 3:17-18 "that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you , being rooted & grounded in love may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height..." We should be like that tree...firmly and well rooted in Jesus, in love. God is the embodiment of of love and so is His Son Jesus. John 3:16 "For God so LOVED the world that He gave His only begotten Son Jesus." Did you catch that...God loved us so much He gave His Son, created in love, to be a love sacrifice for us.

The tree when it was upright and thriving had a good root system that provided plenty of nourishment for that tree. The soil must have been pretty rich for it to have gotten that big. How is your root system today? Are you firmly rooted and grounded in Christ, the good soil of which you get plenty of nourishment? Or are you rooted and grounded in this unstable world, which is not so nourishing to one's soul?

Second thing I noticed about this tree....it's hollow! Yep a good wind came along and because this tree didn't have enough substance it blew right over. It was virtually snapped in half in an odd way. But if you look at the stump remaining and start looking up into the tree it is hollow. Ephesians 3:19 "to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge, that you may be FILLED with the FULLNESS of God." We are to be filled with the Holy Spirit & Christ. What are you filled with today? Are you filled with the Holy Spirit, Christ, the very word of God? Or are you filled with you & what this crazy world has to offer?

Third thing I have noticed about this tree....because it's root system was/is so strong, there are shoots coming up! Yes this old tree is persevering to survive! It has a never die attitude and there are several new trees coming off of the old dead one. Ephesians 6:17-18 "And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying always with all prayer & supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints." Knowing in our minds that we ARE saved and the children of God, exercising HIS word in our lives, our work place, our community....praying ALWAYS. Did you catch that...we are to be praying always, not just when we need something but always talking with the Father, persevering in this daily life to become more like Christ and to be the example of Christ to this world. Are you running the race to win the prize? Or have you given up because of a leg cramp? I may be limping at times, but I am still persevering to run this race and obtain that glorious prize! Come jog/run/or walk with me a bit!

The lessons I learned from a boy named Carter Kipp. Carter is a sweet angelic boy in California that is persevering and daily winning his battle with liver cancer. I follow his family blog daily....just click on the link and pray! Carter is barely 2 years old and although I don't know him personally and have been following his progress via this wonderful thing called the internet; I have learned some lessons from him. So this next portion of my blog is dedicated to this wonderful young warrior & his loving family. Thanks Carter & Kipp family for continually teaching me in the midst of your storm...Hugs!

The first lesson I have learned from this young warrior is not to complain. This sweet boy has a tube coming out of his chest that his parents pump medicine into several times a day. I think it is called an IV line, but heck I am no nurse. This boy has been through several rounds of chemo, been sicker then a dog, yet hasn't complained or grumbled. This sweet spirit has just tried to smile and persevere through it all. In all the pictures I have seen there has been a smile, yes a weak one at times, but a smile nonetheless.

Second lesson I have learned from this young warrior and his brother Bennett is unconditional love. Kira, Carter's mom, posts regularly Carter's progress but also how both boys are interacting in the midst of this. Carter is a loving sweet boy, who in spite of his own issues has concern for his bigger brother when he scraped his knee. Bennett has been tender and careful playing with his brother. Reading their stories shows you the love & bond these 2 have for one another...something we adults who have been hardened by the world could stand to learn again. We can learn how to be tender and caring once again for our brothers and sisters in Christ, but also for the lost.

Lord, keep healing Carter, keep shrinking that tumor until it is non existant. Holy Spirit pour out your horns of healing & joy over, into and through not only Carter but this family as a whole. Let all weariness be removed from this family in Jesus' mighty name. Father open the windows of blessing & provision over this family. Father Your word says You will meet all our needs...meet all of the Kipp family's needs emotionally, spiritally, physically, & financially in Jesus' mighty name. Amen

Dear reader, I encourage you to click on the link for "We Love Carter". Go read this touching blog and take up the burden of prayer for this family. If you can afford a cup of coffee, take that money and send it on to the family for financial help.....it may seem like a dollar or a few cents in your hands, but God can and will multiply it for the Kipp family's use and God's own glory.

God's Pesticide

God has really been talking a lot about gardens to not only me but to my Pastors as well. It shouldn't be too much of a surprise considering He did speak "be fruitful and multiply" at the first of the year. We have been doing a study of the Song of Solomon and God refers to us & our hearts as His private garden, a locked garden for Him and Him alone to enjoy.

Last week's post was about planting your garden and some of the things God desires in the gardens of our hearts. Feel free to go back to read it and refresh yourself. This week was exquisite agony again as God rolled out His pesticide for our gardens.

If you remember from previous post(s) in Galatians 5:16-26 we discovered some of the bad fruit or weeds that our garden can produce if we live in the flesh. The flip side to that is 1Corintians 13....God's pesticide. I am not typing it all out....I am going to let you go read it for yourself....it will do you good I promise!

Anyway to paraphrase the beginning verses talk about having gifts and doing good things but if we don't have love....God's love in us....it is nothing and for not. Then it gets to the pesticide part....verse 4..."Love endures long and is patient and kind; love never is envious....etc." GO READ IT...anyway if we have HIS perfect love in us and compelling us to keep moving, keep serving then the weeds or bad fruit of Galatians 5:16-26 has no place to grow.

So now I am reading Galatians 5 & 1Corinthians 13. Checking my garden and weeding as necessary. You can learn a lot about your garden by looking at a garden in the natural, then corolating it to the spirit realm. Well I must dash...happy gardening!