Scatter the Seed

The evergreen continues to be a source of lessons for this seeker of Jesus through Nature. I often wonder why God, through His infinite ways that He teaches me, decides to stand before me in His Creation and write on the chalkboard of the sky, soil, or anything that He says, "Grow" and it grows.  I love that it's almost taken me a month to write down all that He has taught me through the evergreens, but I know there's purpose in that as well.  By taking my time to write down what He teaches me, my heart lingers on it much longer.  Isn't that the way we desire it with Jesus?  I don't want to rush to the next thing that He's teaching me.  I want to make sure I've totally grasped the lessons in THIS moment.  

So, back to the evergreen.  

As Mike and I hiked through the hills of Breckenridge, CO, my eyes kept fixing themselves on the evergreens  

 everywhere.  All sizes.  All heights.  Some inches away from others.  Some feet away from others.  I don't begin to be able to figure out our God, but I do know a little about seed scattering, so as Mike was chattering some nonsense about gold mining or what bakery we were going to try next, my mind was thinking about seeds and how God scatters and grows them. 


Something that I have had to learn and relearn about seeds, plants, and fruit is that all I have to do is surrender to the growth, and most importantly, i am only the fruit hanger.  I never produce the fruit.  Jesus always produces it in me.

"But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control."  (Gal. 5:22)

"Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches.  This who remains in Me and I in them, will produce much fruit.  For apart from Me you can do nothing."  (John 15:4)

But what happens to the pinecones full of seeds?  They eventually drop to the ground and scatter to be replanted and made into something new, to grow something new.

I see our lives like I see the cones full of seeds.  We are influencers of people's lives both in positive and negative ways.  There are things in my life that I have regretted that I wished hadn't planted seeds, but they did.  But I also know that there are seeds for the gospel that each of us have that are meant to be sown, meant to be shared with the world.  We are made to make a difference wherever we are.  Never belittle your influence in this life.  You were made for wherever God has put you to be a mouthpiece, a comforter, a listener, or a friend to another.  Your pouring yourself out, allowing yourself to drop into the soil of another's life so that you can influence and be a seed that grows something new for God's Kingdom MATTERS.  You may never be present to see the growth or the change, but rest assured, the God of the universe uses vessels everyday to grow and multiply His Kingdom, and you are one of many.  Embrace the fruit that you were meant to hang, to plant, to grow, to harvest.  It matters.

Falling Grace

“Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound.

Amazing Love, now flowing down.

With Hands and Feet, that were nailed to the tree.

As grace flows down and covers me.”  (Christy Nockels)

I LOVE SNOW!  Yes, I am a teacher at heart, and even though I have not taught in almost 20 years, I get so excited to check the radar and watch for the chance that schools are closed.  When I was awakened, not once, but twice by the school system letting me know that my boy/man sleeping upstairs would have a snow day, my heart wasn’t annoyed, it was elated!

Something I love more about the snow are the lessons that Jesus teaches me through it.  For many years, I was addicted to shame.  I knew of grace for the sake of knowledge, but felt like there was a road block leading to grace that would penetrate my heart and transform me from the inside out.  As I began to heal from my shame addiction, I realized that I could have all the knowledge in the world about what grace is, but I had to begin to know WHO grace is.  Grace’s Name is Jesus.

As I look outside my full length window into my backyard, and watch grace fall down in the form of snow, it always makes me think of Jesus.  If I were to walk outside right now, every part of me would have snow falling on it.  The ground is completely covered.  No dirt is showing, grass is covered, driveway unrecognizable…heck, even the dog poop is concealed!  That’s WHO grace is and what grace does.  It covers, makes new, washes white, and makes who I was unrecognizable because He has made me a new creation.

Grace is not intrusive or forceful. The snow falling this morning has no sound to it.  Just like grace, snow falls quiet and serene almost like you wouldn’t know it was there unless you saw it and felt it.  Jesus will never force you to believe that His grace covers you or that His death and resurrection is enough to secure your standing with Him. 

I see grace everywhere.  It’s God’s reminder to me that He is ever present, He is for me, and He is cheering me on in whatever season I am in.  I see grace in the laughter of children, cardinal’s red with the blood of Jesus, music that sings in my heart every day, my changed life and heart, leaves that magically turn from green to fiery red and blazing yellow, a marriage that has not just survived but is thriving, forgiveness in action, sweet heart connection with people, the metamorphosis I see in lives changed by Jesus, the process of a baby growing in a momma, restoration in relationship, and hearts singing their guts out in worship.  I also see grace embodied in the simple, often overlooked things like a crock pot full of hot soup, little things that make the heart smile, my big comfy gray couch, candles flickering, Smart Wool socks warm, and the hum of a quiet and warm house. 

Grace is flowing down.  It’s flowing down on you.  Just as the snowflakes are too many to count and each flake has its own unique shape and size, Jesus’ grace for you is unique, too many to count, and all encompassing.  There is no “poop” on you that is not covered.  To Jesus, you are unrecognizable as who you were.  In His grace, you stand spotless, blameless, shameless, and pure like the snow that is falling outside.

So head outside, put your face to the sky and let His grace fall down on you!

JOY

JOY

J...JESUS
O...ONLY
Y...YOU

YOU are what satisfies my longing soul; YOU fill my empty cup; YOU mend my broken heart; YOU shine your Light in dark places; YOU make my heart and mouth sing; YOU give me the ability to love; YOU give me the ability to forgive; YOU complete me; YOU compel me; YOU love me; YOU are my perfect example; YOU are my friend; YOU are my salvation; YOU set me FREE; YOU are my enough; YOU are my truth; YOU are my thanksgiving; YOU are my provider; YOU are my healer; YOU help me truly see;  YOU are beautiful, YOU are my life; YOU are my love; YOU are my shelter; YOU are my comfort; YOU are my refuge; YOU are my song, my melody; YOU are the only One for me; YOU are the only God for me.

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!!

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)

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.

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.

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