Monday, April 17, 2017


Someone asked me recently if I knew what her name meant. I didn't, but I found out. Guess what? Her name's meaning described her character perfectly. Was I surprised? No. Why? Our God who just happens to be THE Creator of the universe is awesome. He IS sovereign. His will WILL be done. Period!

This someone just happened to have had parents who were anything but saints. In fact, they were just downright heathens. Yet, they named their daughter what they did, and that name revealed the will of God for this person. She has become her name. Her name was and is her destiny. Coincidence? No way. More like the sovereignty of God.

After sixty some odd years of living, I've seen this happen over and over and over again. It is almost like He whispers into the ears of unsuspecting parents the names of their children, and then they unknowingly cooperate with Him and name their children with His choices. His hands are always at work.

So, at our naming and even before, God begins to write a new, amazingly beautiful story entitled our name. We become His gift to the world even before we know Him.

All of us begin as little lost sheep, and then He like the good Shepherd that He is sets out to rescue each of us. Some of us want to be rescued; unfortunately, some of us don't. However, that does not stop Him from trying. We can run, kick, hide, and scream, yet He is ever present trying to rescue us and draw us unto Himself. Once rescued, He begins the process of polishing His treasure - us. He declares that we will sparkle in His hands like a jewel in a crown. (Zachariah 9:16)

So today, I declare that YOU ARE AMAZING! We are all amazing because He is amazing, and He loves us with an amazing, unfailing, everlasting love. 

Yes, you may not see Him or feel Him, but that does not mean that He isn't there working and loving. One of my favorite writers, Amy Carmichael, says that some people look at something for a second and see nothing and then walk away.  Others
glance for a couple of seconds, see something, say something like "Amazing!" or "Wow!" or "How Beautiful!" but then are attracted by other things and also walk away. They saw a little more than the first people, but not much.

It is only as we look and look and look and look and look . . . that we REALLY see. The more we look for Him and at Him, the more we will see and the more we will love Him and the more we will experience His goodness and His beauty in this land.

Be encouraged! He is there and He loves you with an amazing love.

May you seek Him every day,
believe everything He says,
trust Him always,
hear His whispers and obey,
and love everyone He sends your  way.

Keep looking.
Keep loving.
Keep seeking.
Believe it all.

You are amazing, and your story is amazing all because He is amazing and loves you with His amazing love.

Sunday, April 2, 2017


Pieces of me feel cold, wordless, lonely.

People are often difficult and misunderstand.
They hear but do not listen,
observe but remain blind,
are here but are not present.
Today moves them -
no thought of the future, of the pain they cause.

Dreams and goals lie in a heap of rubble
discarded because life happened -
yesterday's ideas no longer fresh, no longer viable.

Old hurts re-wound over and over.
So many scars.
Betrayal, jealousy, unkind judgments/words
not to mention physical pain and loss.
Scars can hurt, you know?

Silence is all that is left.

You, O God, take my silence and make it into song.
Your presence, Your light melt my icy heart.
Your love drives away the loneliness.

By day, Your love, Your light.
By night, Your song, Your peace.
Through it all, the joy of Your presence.

I move but one little lit step at a time.
I pledge no steps beyond what I know, what I can see.

When the negative invades my space,
I must pause and look up.
Pause and praise.
Survival demands this.
Oh, for a heart trained to look up in the midst of it all.

My God, with His lovingkindness, WILL MEET ME.
Never lost, never forgotten.
His goodness in this land.


The above picture is entitled Accusing Man - Inner Self. I chose this image because it is my disclaimer (as if I needed one) for this post.

I am in no way pointing my finger in this post at anyone other than myself, but if the shoe fits, you know the drill.

I am just as broken and messed up as everyone else in this old world. In fact, most days I feel like I am the perfect "Romans" individual; I do what I don't want to do and don't do what I do want to do.

So please don't think that I am pointing my finger at "you." That finger is pointed at me.

During Lent, many individuals give up a certain thing/things as a way to honor Christ, to prove their devotion to Him and to others, to thank Him for His blood, sweat, tears, and love. Upon coming out of Lent, most of these individuals resume those practices immediately.

Someone asked my husband recently to guess what he had given up for Lent. "Beer." Bingo! What was the first thing he was going to do after Lent? Guess!

I stopped giving up things during Lent at about the same time I stopped making New Year's resolutions. After sooooo many years of trying to do these things, they no longer seemed "true" (for me). Why? EVERY DAY OF OUR LIVES SHOULD BE LENT.

Rest assured, I don't live every day as if it is Lent, unfortunately. Also be assured that I am in no way pointing an accusing, judgmental finger at anyone. I am simply sharing what has been on my heart lately.

No one serving as a soldier entangles himself in civilian affairs -
he wants to please his commanding officer . . .
Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight.
2 Timothy 2: 4,6

I have been rereading some really old Amy Carmichael stuff lately, and you guessed it. What I have read has been convicting. In other words, I've been reflecting and repenting. Remember, to repent means to turn around and go in the opposite direction, to change.

God calls us His emissaries. (a person sent on a special mission, usually a diplomatic representative) As His emissaries in this world, we are to be DISENTANGLED.
  • called to be a Nazarite - separated unto Him
  • called to be a Priest - crowned with His glory and light, His purpose, His power and authority
  • called to be a Soldier - engaged in a great campaign, a war (paraphrasing Amy)
We cannot afford to be caught on the hooks of the "little affairs" of this life.

So many different lures are dangled in front of us daily. People expect a lot from us.
Family, friends, community, work, and even we ourselves require much from us. The simple and not-so-simple day-in-day-out duties of each day require a lot from us. In the midst of all of these activities, where is the time to nurture a loving, living, personal daily relationship with the living God of the universe?

Plus, don't we need some down time, some play time, some recreation? I won't list the recreation possibilities for fear of creating enemies, and yes, I do realize that recreation is vital, but maybe we've lost sight of what "day of rest" really means. Are we doing activities that will "re-create" us, make us new again?

Recreation (re-creation) - a pastime that will re-equip us
for future work and not cause a leakage of spiritual power
- Amy Carmichael

Some pastimes can take hold of us. Too much of anything, even a good and harmless thing, is not good for us and unfortunately wastes time.

After the events of my past 15+ years, I am so aware and upset about wasting my time. We've been given only so much time, and none of us know exactly how much we have.

The essence of the Nazarite vow was to abstain from things that, in themselves, were lawful and permissible like having an occasional haircut. Even raisins were a no-no for a Nazarite.

Should not we as God's emissaries "treat the world (not just its corruptions, but its legitimate joys, its privileges and blessings also) as a thing to be touched at a distance." (Ouch, Amy!) Being caught by the world's spirit could cause us to lose our awareness of God's presence with us. "If we feed upon the world's spirit, if it gives us our nourishment, we risk missing out on the heavenly bread sent to feed our souls."

God doesn't forbid these things. He isn't cruel and harsh, isn't a dictator in these matters. It's simply a matter of how much we love Him.

If we love someone, that someone is the most important thing to us. Love isn't just an emotion, a feeling. Love is also action. If we love people, we do things for them, just for them. We make time to spend time with just them. Believe me. I know. My husband has to be the most loving man of all in light of how he has served me over the past 15+ years of one health crisis after another. You wouldn't believe some of the things he has done for me and helped me do for myself.

Should not we, who say that we love Him, set our affections/desires on heavenly things? Should not we voluntarily and gladly (with joy) lay aside the things that charm the world so that "we may be charmed and ravished with the things of heaven." (AC)  

May we ever be wholly devoted to our Lover who died to save us, who gave us His all.

May we ever look upon the world and all its charms with wisdom realizing that there are snares and traps and distractions set to capture our hearts and keep us from our mission and to waste our precious time.

May we ever live as if the world is not our real home.

May we ever move and have our being in a higher kingdom, in reality, ignoring the "mirages" of this world.

May we find our fountains, our satisfaction in Him.

Pray that my remaining years however many or few they may be will be lived in this way.