Holy Focus

I've been studying Hebrews 12:2 today which says,

"Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." I love looking up the original meanings for words/phrases in scripture on www.blueletterbible.org, and this morning, I was curious to see what the original meaning of the word "fix" meant.  The original word means to "turn the eyes away from other things and fix them on something else".  My mind thinks visually, so immediately I began to think of something that would explain what I picture the word to mean.

This dog is fixated.  His focus is planted on something, and nothing, other than its owner will be able to pull him from what he sees.  

We all have a lot of things going on right now.  Life is busier than I've ever seen it, and it is so easy to shift our focus to the details of life, and really never experience the true Joy of life, which is Jesus Christ. God has impressed upon my heart today, that, just like the dog, I need to be fixated on Him and on Kingdom things.  I have found that when I do, all the other details of life are still there and eventually get accomplished, but the day finds a new meaning and purpose when I seek a Holy Focus.

Go

It's a glorious Fall morning, well, it really feels like Spring, because it's cool, but will be in the mid 70's today again with warm sunshine.  As I sat down with my coffee and my Bible, my sweet dog Cooper came to me and did what he does a lot. He laid his head on the chair next to my leg.  Now, before you say in your head, "Aww", this is generally the thing he does when he wants something from me, so like I have done many times before, I said, "Go".  Most of the time that doesn't work until I say, "Go lay down," to which he doesn't leave my presence, but he lays close by.

Before I sat down, I prayed that God would speak to me this morning, and as I said the word "Go", a truth resonated in my heart.  I do that with God.  When life is too busy and there are too many things on my "to do" list, my actions say "Go" to God when He comes close.  But what does He do?  Much like Cooper, He never leaves and stays by my side until I'm ready for Him.  “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5)


Today my heart says, "Lord, come near, closer than I think I need you.  Thank you for never leaving me, even when my heart says "Go lay down."

Hold On

It's crazy windy in Middle Tennessee today!  Fall is trying desperately to make an entrance, but warmer temperatures keep it at bay.  The leaves have changed, but since we haven't had the rain that we need, it seems this year that the colors aren't as vibrant, along with the fact that the trees are letting them go more quickly.  As I was taking my son to school this morning, I noticed a smaller tree that was being whipped by the wind.  If the leaves could talk (which the older I get, I do animate and give things voices :) ) I believe that they would be screaming, "Hold on!  Hold on for dear life!"  At that very moment, God began forming this on my heart.  "A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit."  (Isaiah 11:1)  As I looked at the leaves being battered by the wind and trying to hold on, I thought of the excruciating "wind" that this life deals us living in this world:  lies, pain, divorce, success at all cost, disease, disappointment, loss, exhaustion, addiction, shame, guilt, and the list could go on an on.  But as long as we hang on to the Branch, we have LIFE.  Leaves apart from the branch wither and die.  Leaves that decide to fly off on their own and ride the wind, never have a source of direction, and they are a slave to the wind.  The Branch (Jesus Christ) is the only source of true life.

For you

I did this for you...for you...even if you were the only one...for you

John 10:17-19 (New International Version)

¹⁷The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. ¹⁸No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again.

The Call to Fly

"3The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice."  (John 10:3-4)

Babies know Momma's voice...They sing back the same chirp...Dad joins the song...It's a song that beckons the frightened babies to take the plunge out of the nest...The bush trembles at their movement.  Momma leaves for a moment and the babies call loudly.  She comes back, on the ground now, making her demands louder.  Their insistent chirp back seems to be screaming, "I'm not ready to go."  She continues to come back, each time with more food the strengthen the apprehensive, readying babies.

New seasons of life for our babies are so hard at times, but God blesses us with them so that we can call them out of the nest to try out what we've taught them to spread their wings and FLY!  (Sidenote...I have had 3 litters (i know they're not called litters, but you get it) of baby robins from the same mom and dad all summer.  They have been nesting since April 15th, and the last 3 flew the coop last week...)

Give Me a Drink!

The temperature in Tennessee this week will be close to 100 degrees.  The heat index will be close to 110 degrees.  I usually water my flowers every other day in the summer, but because of the heat, I am stepping it up daily, at least until the heat subsides.  The Miracle Grow has even made its way out of the shed, as I'm fearful that the flowers will wilt in the heat.

As I made my way around the yard, flooding all of my plants with a good drink of water, God turned my thoughts toward my own walk with Him.  I had to ask myself the question, "When I feel the sweltering heat come into my own life through challenges, pain, weakness, or sadness, do I flood my life with an extra drink in the Word to sustain me?"  Many times, the answer is "No".  I become so consumed with the circumstance, "the heat", that it becomes my main focus, and not the Source that can give me a drink through the relief and nourishment of His Word.

I look at my flowers and I'm reminded that they need watered regularly in order to stay healthy, and a double watering when the heat tries to consume them.  My life, also, needs a watering of His Word to keep me healthy as well, and when the heat comes, it needs a double portion! 

"you would have asked him and he would have given you living water."  (John 4:10)

Harmony?

My birdie hotel...I've been watching it since March, eager for the Purple Martins to reserve a room.  Sparrows quickly moved in, and for a few months have annoyed me, because pretty much anywhere I have provided a house, here and in my Bluebird house, they have moved in and taken over.

Last week I began to see a lone Martin checking out the hotel.  As the week passed, it started coming around more and more, with the sparrow staring it down each time it perched.  One Martin turned into to two, into three, and finally into four.  Since March, I have been wanting the Martins to come in and kick the Sparrows out....until...the babies were born, and now I just want them to share!!!

I'm a freak, I know, but Mike gave me a pair of binoculars that we've had, and I've been staring at the birds for days.  I've been worried about the baby Sparrows, and with good reason.  Today before church, I saw one of the Martins in the Sparrow's nest tormenting the babies and it made one fly out!

So my heart is torn, as I'm sure God's is when his children can't or wont live together in harmony.  I want the Martins to live in the Birdie Hotel, but I don't want them to kick the Sparrows out.  Stay tuned...as of this afternoon, the Sparrows still have a home.

  (1Pe 3:8) "Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble."

Majesty

I'm sitting under my carport as a scattered thunderstorm pops up.  I'm beginning to smell the wet asphalt and the cadence of the rain is getting more rapid.  The activity of the birds has slowed quite a bit as all of the nesting birds fly back to warm their exposed eggs.  I see a few stray birds here and there, probably the Daddy's watching over their brides.  The chirp of the Cardinal (my Jesus) is the loudest sound I hear right now.  His Majesty is everywhere!

Baby Oh Baby

So much has happened since baby robin was born a little over a month ago.  Life has flown at a shutter speed pace, with our 18 year old winding down her Senior year of high school...prom...CATS...graduation...oh, I'm getting sidetracked.  I'll talk about her later.  Back to this bird...God has shown me lots of lessons through this small life.

Lesson #1  Time passes so fast... It seems like just yesterday that my kids were babies.

Lesson #2  Along with this bird, there was another egg that never hatched.  As baby continued to grow, momma robin realized that her other baby would never be a baby, so she kicked it out of the nest to crack on the concrete.  What God showed me about this is that so many times we focus on what might have been that we miss out on what already is.  If momma would have continued to sit on the nest trying to hatch the other egg, she would begin to neglect the baby that already lived. 

Lesson #3  A momma's work is never done...nothing more to say about that!!

Lesson #4  Sometimes life scares the bejeebies out of us, but God still holds us in the palm of His Hands.  On day 12 of this new life, we had a bunch of people over to our house for Kinsey's graduation celebration.  As we were preparing, we scared the baby just one too many times and it literally jumped out of the nest and ran off into the bushes.  It wasn't quite ready to fly!  We never saw baby again...We kept checking the nest, watching for momma, and praying that she found him, but resting in the fact that God cares about all of His creation.  I honestly don't know what became of him.  I'm just hoping that he got to try out his wings!

Lesson #5  Life moves on...4 or 5 days have passed, and I was shocked to see momma robin come back to the nest and what does she do?  She lays 3 MORE EGGS!

Discipleship

I have a dear neighbor that lets me steal flowers from her.  She has a bunch of daisies, so I knew she wouldn't mind some of them making their way to my yard.  I've been realizing a little bit about transplanting flowers.  They need lots of water!!!  Each day, I would go outside and this daisy would be drooping again, as if to say, "I need more water so I can grow!"  So what do I do?  I water, and I water, and I water!

God's whisper to me in the daisies is this..."New believers need lots of watering!"  My heart couldn't help thinking about young children who accept Jesus as their Savior, believe that He is God's Son who died for their sins and rose to life again, and who also commit their lives to Him.  So many times, just like this daisy, I feel like they make that decision and are "planted", but then, we as parents and older disciples, leave them to droop because we don't "water" them!  New believers, just like new plants, need tons of attention to flourish!  We want our world to bloom with the love of Christ in His believers, so we have to take the time to invest in the future of the Kingdom...those young daisies!!

I'm a Grandmother!!

For two weeks, I have been watching a robin carefully, methodically build her nest, lay her eggs, and screech at anyone who disturbed her. She laid three eggs, but only two survived. We have had the most gorgeous past two weeks, up until this past weekend when we got the most rainfall in two days that I have ever witnessed. Tennessee got 25 percent of our yearly rainfall in two days. I have never seen such flooding. 22 have lost their lives so far, which absolutely breaks my heart.  In the midst of the downpours, I kept a close eye on my robin.  Rain poured down upon her all day for two days, but like devoted mothers do, she sat patiently on her nest all weekend long, knowing, like a mother's heart does, that her precious ones were soon to arrive.  Today is Monday, and after a long and frightening weekend, we awoke to the glorious glow of the sunshine.  When I checked on the nest, this is the sight that I found!!!  Life came out of the dark of the rainy, flood-filled weekend.  Hallelujah!  I feel like a grandmother!  (Gigi is what I want to be called) 

New Life!

My heart has been leaping with all of the new life in Spring!  The South is absolutely gorgeous in the Spring, with every type of tree budding and blooming, daffodils scattering their yellow everywhere you look, and tulips popping their heads left and right.  I take many pictures of my beloved cardinal in the winter, because the bare limbs allow me to see them more clearly.  Winter symbolizes death for me, with all of life pretty much asleep, so when Spring came this year, my heart yearned to take a picture of the cardinal in the bloom of LIFE!  How perfect that God gave me this picture on Easter!  The day that Jesus rose from the dead so that we all could LIVE is the very day that I was able to capture this precious scene.  GLORY!!  Anyone who accepts Jesus as Savior is clothed in LIFE!  Hallelujah!  I live because He lives!!

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."  (John 10:10)

Bitter Roots

"See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many."  (Hebrews 12:15)

This tree, well now it's a dead tree, has been taunting me for weeks.  I drive by it almost every day, and each time it's as if screams, "Take a picture of me!  I have a word to speak!"  Every time I'm reminded to capture it, I don't have my camera in the car.  It's Springtime, and the chainsaws are screaming, so I've been in a panic thinking that someone would cut the tree down before I could take a picture.

The tree is totally dead.  Some sort of root has trailed up the trunk and squeezed, inch by inch, bit by bit, the life that once lived in this tree.  Just like this tree, bitterness is a deadly root that can take hold of our lives and inch by inch, bit by bit, squeeze the life out of us and out of those we are embittered toward.

I have seen marriages suffocated because of bitterness.  I have watched churches disintegrate because of bitterness.  I have seen friendships vanish because a root of bitterness has taken hold.

"Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice."  (Ephesians 4:31)

Is bitterness a root that is squeezing the life out of you?

God's Heart

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whosoever believes in Him will not perish, but have everlasting LIFE".  (John 3:16)

My daughter Kinsey took this picture on Easter at my parents house.  I love this old oak tree in every season, because the sun always sets behind it.  I quote the "oaks of righteousness" verse quite a bit as I strive to live a free life in Christ.  It is so fitting that the day that Jesus took every sin ever committed and bore it on His perfect Body, He once and FOR ALL made those who would believe in Him righteous before Him.  We are clean because He had to wear our dirty stains.

"Amazing Love, O what sacrifice!  The Son of God given for me.  My debt He paid, and MY DEATH He died, that I might LIVE, that I might LIVE"!!

"God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."  (2 Cor. 5:21)

Signs of Spring

I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. (John 10:10)

Fellowship

"But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin."  (1John 1:7)

Come!!

In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you.  (John 14:2)

I love my new birthday present!!  No, my birthday is not until July, but I needed this one NOW!  This is not just ANY birdhouse, it's a hotel for Martins!  Their scouts come back from Brazil to seek nesting shelter for the summer, and they come mid-March, so they need to come and stay in my beautiful, spacious Birdie Hotel!  This hotel has enough space to house 16 families of Martins.  WooHoo!!!

Jesus came to earth, lived a sinless life, a perfect example for us to follow so that one day, He could go back to Heaven and prepare a room for us!  I am so thankful that He has room not just for 16 but for anyone who calls on His Name!

"And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."  (Acts 2:21)

Fly FREE!

"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free"  (Galatians 5:1)

God gave me two words yesterday. "Fly Free"! Each time my eyes would land on a bird soaring through the air, my heart said, "Fly Free!" The word "free" has such a sentimental place in my heart and has since 2003 when Jesus set me FREE from the sin and shame of having an abortion. My heart longed to truly be free, but somehow I just didn't know how as long as I was carrying the chains of shame behind me.

Watching birds is so soothing for me. Flying from tree to tree, methodically manuevering between branches, knowing where the food is, and singing all the while. My heart was drawn to birds that I see in the pet stores. I feel so sorry for them, because the cage is all they'll ever know, and in reality, if they were released into the free space of the sky, they would probably die from the predators that lurk, waiting for the weak.

Up until seven years ago, I was that caged bird, willingly bound, because I felt too weak, too ill-equipped, too worthless to "fly free", but oh, how wrong I was! For every truth, there is counterfeit, a lie, waiting to take up residency in our hearts. Through the Truth of God's word I have embraced that...

I am God's child (John 1:12); I am Christ's friend (John 15:5); I have been justified (Romans 5:1); I am a saint, a holy one (Ephesians 1:1); I have been redeemed and forgiven of ALL my sins (Colossians 1:14); I am complete in Christ (Colossians 2:10); I am free forever from condemnation (Romans 8:1-2); I cannot be separated from the love of God (Romans 8:35-39); I may approach God with freedom and confidence (Ephesians 3:12)

The door to the cage is open...FLY FREE!!!!

Sweet Time

My heart has been yearning to be outside and see God.  With Spring's rebirth getting closer, it heightens my anticipation, because although I love to see God in Winter, I see Him much more in the the LIFE of the other seasons.  Mike and I had the blessing of getting away to a B & B for our 21st anniversary.  It was sooo awesome!  God took that yearning and fed it as He showed off for me and Mike as we hiked, listened to the rushing water, and just "vegged" in His creation.  The next few posts were from our time away.  We stayed at Evins Mill in Smithville.  I highly recommend it!

Only For a Season

What is seemingly dead will soon come to life...no leaves yet...no sign of life, but life is around the bend.  There is a season for everything.  At times, our lives are alive with color and every facet blooming, and then there are seasons where the branches are bare, brittle, and barely hanging on.  His Love brings life to the darkest places, and His Promise is that there is a time to die, and there is also a time to live.  He has the power to bring life out of anything and anyone.

1 There is a time for everything,

and a season for every activity under heaven:

2 a time to be born and a time to die,

a time to plant and a time to uproot,

3 a time to kill and a time to heal,

a time to tear down and a time to build,

4 a time to weep and a time to laugh,

a time to mourn and a time to dance,

(Ecc. 3:1-4)

Let Me Step Where You Step

Hiking, for the most part, is a single file adventure, with one leading, and the rest following.  I found that as I was following Mike along this trail, wherever he stepped I stepped there too.  As I watched his steps stay secure wherever he went, I planted my feet there as well.  Mike is also the leader of our home, and I have to trust his steps and direction in our family.  I watch where he goes, and because I know that ultimately Jesus is ahead of him, guiding his steps, I know that I can trust his direction of our marriage and our family.  By his staying on course with Jesus, our path together will always head in God's direction.                        

"5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart;

do not depend on your own understanding.

6 Seek his will in all you do,

and he will show you which path to take." (Prov 3:5-6)

Legacy

"I wanna leave a legacy. How will they remember me?  Did I choose to love?  Did I point to You enough to make a mark on things? I wanna leave an offering.  A child of mercy and grace who blessed Your Name unapologetically."  (Nichole Nordeman)

As the water of truth pours over the ledge and touches everything in its path, our lives on this earth affect others, both for the good and bad...the words we speak, the actions we take.  At the end of my life, I want to have touched other lives for Jesus and those lives touch others, just as the water falls down and touches every layer until it reaches bottom.  My heart is to leave a legacy of love in honor of the Perfect Lover of my soul.  Lord, pour me out like a drink offering!

"For I am already being poured out like a drink offering"  (2Tim. 4:6)

The Path That Leads to Living Water

"Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." (John 7:38)

Roots Exposed

The roots of our faith grow deep as we journey in our walk with Jesus.  With each passing year, the roots should grow deeper and stronger as they search for the "Living Water" that nourishes them and makes them take deeper root.  Life happens though...storms of disappointment, anger, disease, failure, shame, deceit, and struggle try to erode the foundation of our lives in Christ.  With each storm, the erosion has to be tended to, filled in, and rebuilt, otherwise the roots become exposed and vulnerable.  But no matter how many storms crash against our lives, our foundation is always secure in Christ Jesus.

"It will be a shelter and shade from the heat of the day, and a refuge and hiding place from the storm and rain."

(Isaiah 4:6)

Rushing Water

"6So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, 7rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness."  (Colossians 2:6-7)

It was a gorgeous, Spring-like day this past Saturday in the South.  Temperatures in the 60's beckoned our family to take an extended ride on the Greenway.  As God would have it, one of the tires blew on a bike about 7-8 miles from our starting point.  I volunteered to stay back and let someone come back and get me and the wounded bike.  I had some time to look at the river as it rushed by.  We've had quite a bit of rain so the river has been consistently up .

As I was basically in a trance looking at the water, my eyes happened upon these two scenes.  Looking up and down the banks of the river from where it had swelled, there were large logs and debris that got caught in the current.  But then I looked down and saw this tiny twig.  It swayed with the current, but it was never uprooted.  Why?  Because it's foundation was planted far enough into the river bed that that current couldn't sweep it away.  The larger log couldn't stay in its place because it had nothing to hold it there.

In this crazy fallen world that we live in, we have to be deeply rooted and established in Christ, otherwise the troubles, challenges, heartbreaks, and just the busyness of life will sweep us away.

Uninvited Guests

"The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance."  (2 Peter 3:9)


So...I love me some birds.  I think it's so neat that even after I have not filled my feeders for a few days and they pretty much disappear, I can refill the feeders and within minutes the birds are back...ALL of them.  I love the beautiful birds...of course the cardinal, the chickadee (Kinsey's favorite), the gold finch, the tufted titmouse, and the blue bird.  Sidenote: I currently have no blue birds because the sparrows have taken over their house :(  I get very excited when my yard is filled with beautiful birds, but I have found that I get annoyed when the "ugly" birds, the scavengers, the food hogs come and eat all the bird's food.  So what do I do?  I bang on the window to scare them off!  Even though I like doves (primarily because they are monogamous birds) I tend to bang on the window at them because they are feeder hogs!!  I especially dislike the starlings and the black birds because the starlings are ugly to me, and the black birds remind me of satan. 

God's truth to me about the starlings is this:  "They are my creation; they have a purpose; I love them; and they need fed too."  As I stare out the window at the birds I could care less about, my heart steered toward His people creation.  How many times have I judged someone because of how they looked, or what I felt that they had to offer, by the lifestyle that they choose or by the simple fact that they didn't look or act like me?  (I know!  UGHHH!)  God is sweetly but firmly showing me that ALL of His creation has a purpose and meaning to Him.  Just as the pretty birds need fed, so do the ones we perceive as "ugly".  He wants ALL of His creation to come to Him for the feeding of their souls. 

Who or what is a starling to you?

Perception of His Light

"This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all." (1 John 1:5)

The sun has not shown much over the past week.  God has blessed our region with beautiful snow that we don't usually get to enjoy.  More rain/sleet/snow in the forecast, so the sun will be hiding for days to come.  As I was driving home today, I caught a quick glimpse of the sun peeking behind the clouds.  There wasn't even enough light for it to cast a shadow on the ground, but it was a gentle reminder that it hasn't gone anywhere.

As Christ followers, there are times when we look at our lives, our circumstances, and our pain as a measuring stick to God's presence in our lives.  When we feel pain or are going through a particularly challenging season in our lives, it's easy to view God as not as close, or not shining brightly enough in our lives.

As I gazed at this picture, I see the clouds as our circumstances.  Many times we can't see the sun for the clouds, even though in our hearts we know that the sun is behind them.  I've heard, and have said myself, especially in the winter, that too many cloudy days send my spirit into a funk.  I need the sun!  Just as our physical bodies need Vitamin D, our spirits need Jesus!

"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."  (Hebrews 11:1)

The SON is always there...always...forever...the clouds are temporary, our circumstances, pain, and heartache are only for a moment.  Let's remind ourselves the focus on the Son, not the clouds.

FREEDOM

"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery."  Galatians 5:1

Only God could make a red, white, and blue sky!  Marvelous!!  Yay God!!

I Will Wait

I have a dear friend Stacey that looks at nature the way I do...I asked her permission to share this.  I know from living life with lots of people how depression can consume life, draining it of any meaning.  I pray that this is an encouragement that our HOPE that satisfies and will sustain us is Jesus Christ and Him alone.



I took this picture today. Daffodils’ are close to my heart. They are symbolic of restoration and a new beginning. I look for them daily in expectation during the last stretch of each winter. When I was consumed by bondage and depression, there were many years that they were my only hope – a hope of what was to come. “If I can just make it until the daffodils bloom…” I would repeat over and over.


Today my hope lies in the glory of our LORD! I still wait daily in expectation – in expectation of God. “He is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.” (Lamentations 3:25-26) My soul rejoices in its restoration! I am thankful that the earth is full of God’s glory – like the newness of a daffodil as it pierces thru the pure white fresh fallen snow.

Scarlet and White

Isaiah 1:18

"Come now, let us reason together," says the LORD. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.

The crimson red against the white reflection of the snow.  Absolutely Beautiful picture of our Savior wearing the scarlet color of OUR sin.  He's amazing...Simply amazing...

Building Back the Boundary

Our area has had a great deal of rain lately.  The Stones River is close to my home, and generally when it rains a bunch, it floods the greenway walking trail that borders it.  I usually look on one side of the river to see if the water is above the trail, but this particular day my eyes were drawn to the other side of the bridge, where usually, the water is a good bit below these rocks.  Every time the water rises to the rocks, the current of the water breaks down the strength of the boundary that the rocks provide the river.  Isn't that so true with our lives?  Rains come, sometimes torrential downpours, and the waters rise on the boundaries that keep us safe.  Sometimes damage is done, foundation washed away, but as the waters recede, it is necessary to make the foundation strong again.  That true foundation builder can only be found in the person of Jesus Christ and the abundant Life that only He can provide.  Rains do come in like a flood at times in our lives, but with Jesus, we are eternally safe.

"So this is what the Sovereign LORD says: "See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who trusts will never be dismayed."  Isaiah 28:16

The Path of a Raindrop

I am absolutely THRILLED to have a guest writer today. My sweet middle child Madison loves to write, and she shared with me Sunday what God showed her through the raindrops.  It is so cool to see my kids grasp the legacy being passed down to them.  To see God in nature is a daily reminder of His perfect faithfulness and the assurance that we are never alone.

As I'm going to church, looking out the car window, I'm watching the raindrops trickle down acrossthe car, and I picture those tiny, innocent raindrops being humans, and how a raindrop always has to go first and the other ones following the same exact path.  As humans, we look at other people's walk with God and try to mirror it, so my dad or mom being the first raindrops that trickle down their walk with God.  Sometimes I want to follow the same exact path with God.  So, looking back, are you the follower or will you branch out and be on your own with God?  Jesus has a specific path for all of us and when the "pour" of people come asking you how your life with God is, are you going to be ready for the storm?

The Wounded

So, I'm on my run this morning, being very "God aware", asking Him to teach me as I ran.  I'm finding that I see Him lots more when I get OUT!  I encourage any of you reading that do not get outdoors much to bundle up and get ready for His Glory!  He's out there waiting!  Now, I'm not saying that He can't give you spiritual truths while you're doing laundry, scrubbing toilets, or vacuuming, but it's much prettier outside.

I'm running down Riverview Drive when I happen upon a squirrel that had been hit and killed by a car.  It was obvious that it hadn't been there long because of the way it lay as if it just looked like it was taking a nap in the road.  As I passed, my mind went to a place of, "Maybe it's still alive, and I just need to gently move it to the grass so it will survive.  Next thought, "If I pick that wounded thing up, it will surely BITE ME"!  It was obvious that it was dead, but here's where God began weaving His teaching into my heart.

Just like it was very probable if I picked up a wounded animal and it bit me, that is very true of humans as well.  Mike and I have an awesome privilege of walking with wounded people every day.  Unfortunately, as we try to pick them up and move them to the side of the road, they BITE.  Hurting people have a tendency to hurt people, but even as Jesus was being spat upon, whipped, scourged, ridiculed, and ultimately slain, He did not bite back. 

It is so hard as imperfect humans to grasp that fact, but as I learned in a great way at Passion in Atlanta, "3His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness." (2Peter 1:3)  We have EVERYTHING THAT WE NEED when life, or the people in life BITE US.  We just have to access that Divine Power instead of relying on our own strength.

Lifeless Limbs

So, I've been staring at this tree with a broken limb for days.  It happens to be in my view as I watch the sun rise.  With all the strong limbs around it, my eyes are continually drawn to the broken limb, the limb that no longer has life in it and just needs to be cut off.

"He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful." (John 15:2)

The truth that keeps invading my mind is how in our lives we have broken places, even places that are completely severed, and totally lifeless, that need to be "cut off", but we continue to drag them behind us like a lifeless limb.

God promises us that "He has made everything beautiful in its time", (Ecc. 3:11) even that broken limb.  Maybe it needs to be cut off so that it can be made into a fire to warm someone, maybe it can be used to build something, or maybe even chopped up into mulch to nourish the earth.  Whatever the use, that broken limb can be used for good, just as our brokenness can be used to minister to others.

Are you carrying around dead limbs?

Purity

Soccer on a snowy Saturday...The beauty of falling white snow is purification for me. It's as if God's cleansing, perfect Self is covering me. All that is blemished and imperfect covered by the white snow. The snow will melt, and all that's underneath will be exposed, but I am so thankful that Christ's purification through His blood on the cross will never leave or ever melt away. I am pure because of Him. Nothing that I will ever do or not do will change His total acceptance of me. Because of Him, I am transformed as the snow transforms the Earth. Praise Him!

"To appreciate the beauty of a snowflake, it is necessary to stand in the cold."

My Birds

The male and female that look sort of damaged its because they are!  Both of them hit my back door and laid under my carport stunned.  Praise God they flew away, otherwise I would still be wearing black and in a state of mourning!!

Worthy Is The Lamb!

Wow!  It has been forever since I've posted!  My heart is so full and ready for 2010!  Many make resolutions or goals for the new year, and I personally like it.  It's as if the New Year says "fresh start", "clean slate", "a chance for a do over".  I personally get excited over all of those phrases because it means that I am grasping the fact that I can look at the past to help me learn from my mistakes or keep doing the things that worked for me, but it also means that I, by my own choice don't have to take those mistakes into the future.  GLORY!!

My beloved red birds have been congregating at my house over the past weeks and my heart has been singing!!!  One particular day I counted 14 males/females.  I was absolutely screaming in my kitchen.  Something that God has shown me in the new year is how it feeds my soul to see Him in creation and then write.  Everytime I write, my focus is totally on the One who is so Worthy, and I know that gives Him Glory!  I know that God has called me to write in worship to Him, and my goal in 2010 is to write every time He shows me a truth about His Creation, so please pray that I will be obedient!  I don't love the computer, so it will definitely be a sacrifice, but HE IS SO WORTH IT!