Hope Defeating Time

And hope does not disappoint, fail to fulfill the expectations or wishes of, sadden, disillusion, dishearten, frustrate, or fail to satisfy our desire. Hope does not cast down, come to nothing, deceive, delude, disconcert, disgruntle, dishearten, disillusion, embitter, fail, fall short of, foil, founder, hamper, hinder, let down, mislead, not show, ruin prospects, stand up, tease, thwart, and finally hope does not torment us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.
Romans 5:4-6

Time always moves, so unthoughtful time is. It just moves and plows through life leaving it’s casualties on the side lines screaming. “Wait, stop, I’m not ready to move, I’m not ready to be your friend and run with you.” In our struggle to find meaning, time just flies, minding its own business as if what it has done to us means nothing. Time is supposed to be good, and yet there are day’s time is our biggest enemy. Sometimes time is the very thing that becomes the author of our depression, our regret, our fear, our lack of trust, our confusion, our accuser. Time reminds us that it has gone by before and will continue to go by, causing the damage it desires to cause. Time controls our emotions, when it chooses to, telling us it heals. It can’t heal. Only the truth of God’s word, of God’s promises heal, without the daily reminder of the hope we have, time can’t heal. Time, you will never heal. But today, time, I tell you, you and your wicked lies of shame, regret, stolen ground, and hurts…there is one who Lords over you. There is one who can transcend you. There is one who is in no submission to you. There is one who to Him a day is like a thousand years and a thousand years is like a day. There is one who can take all the damage it took you to create in a lifetime, and heal it with a sweet song of eternal joy. There is one who will stop you. He will end the strong control you have and the damage you do with that control. He will do what we, as His Children know He will. He will end your reign, continue His own, and the best thing about it…we will all be together. Those who you target for defeat and depression will be together and you, time, won’t be there. I will be there with my dad. Mike will be with his grandpa. Evan will be there with Tina. Shanen will be there with her mom. Mothers will be with the flesh of their flesh that you took from their wombs. WE WILL BE TOGETHER! We will be there with each other…without you, your power over us, and your victory in heartache. So today, I tell time, I tell death what the God of hope tells us all... When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory." So time, you may a have a hold on me now and then. I may listen a little to the pain and lies you speak and be saddened by the ground you steal, but with hope in sight and with hope in charge, I say to you today, "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death is your sting? For the grass withers and the flowers fade, but the WORD of the LORD stands forever." Did you hear that time, I said forever…something you will never know.

Deeper into Faith, Belief...

AND HAPPINESS!
I am so excited for my friend and sister Chrissy! I remember when I first met her, shy and wanting to be alone. She was always beautiful, and I was always sure of the great call on her life. Afraid of kids; now she is a wonderful mother. Somewhat shy and quiet; now she is a leader in life, as she encourages and motivates others. Watching her grow deeper into faith and belief has been an encouragement! Now, she launches this creative ministry of beautiful and simple jewelry; and I am blessed! Blessed because her jewelry is simple and beautiful, just like her. Stepping out isn't easy...even if it is something you want! I want to be an RN and it has been hard, but taking that first step was taking a step deeper into faith and belief. Faith because I have to believe that God and His people will meet me, help me, hold out a hand and speak words that bring life. Belief because I have to believe that the gifts and callings that God has put in my life are to be used, raised up, exerted, applied, utilized, and displayed for His glory. My gifts and callings can change others more than I can know...but, one thing is certain: if I just think about what it can do, and never do it, I won't ever know. So, yay! YAY to a dream realized and a dream at the starting line! I pray for each of us. That we would dare to jump in a little deeper into faith and belief and do those things that have been sitting in our mind to do. Just because it's not something super spiritual doesn't mean the hand of God doesn't rest heavy on it! Your dream is an avenue into your greatness! It won't fix all our problems, but stepping deeper into faith and belief will add joy to our souls, and make us happier people! So here ya have it - nothing super profound, just a reminder note. A reminder note that says: Wake up my Child and go for it! Nothing is too hard for me! What you want to do, do it. Comment your way to me and I will make your path straight. Straight....and happy! :) Also, as a side note: Tell someone your dream and let them join in speaking life and encouragement into it! We need each other! But...we need each other happy! :)
...check her jewelry out at the link on "my sites" on this page! ----->

From Gravity into Freedom

Sometimes a song just gets me, like the one you should be hearing now. (i took it off my page, but it's Gravity by Sara Bareilles). I love it when that happens! I understand that some of you may think this is cheesy, but let's get one thing straight...God will use whatever works. I have been listening to this song for weeks. I love her voice and her lyrics, but for some reason I have been drawn to this particular song. Now, I don't usually change the intended meaning of a song to fit my own life, OK...maybe I do. But, I'm sure the writer would be OK with that, right? It's art, left to the interpreter for it's meaning of how it moves someone, changes someone, releases the feelings needing to be released, right? Well this song developed into a conversation with my sin. Now, don't freak out, I don't usually converse with my sin and my weaknesses, but this song motivated me to speak to that which separates me from moving forward and on to freedom. I understand she is speaking of a relationship that is bringing her down, a relationship that she uses as comfort, for her own pleasures. One that she chooses to hold on to, hide behind, be comfortable in...sorta like that thing, that thing that we can't shake, that sin that comes back over and over again. You know, the one thing that you can't believe you let have it's way AGAIN, the thing that causes you to fall AGAIN, believe the lie AGAIN!!! UGH! For some of you it may be unforgiveness, doubt, the inability to surrender, to trust. For others it may be the need to control something you must let go of, a lack of self control, needing the approval of someone, lust of any kind, money, pride, insecurity, fear, being easily offended, gossip, the desire to marry, the desire to not be married, hate, or jealousy... just...THAT THING!! You know, the one we sorta like, but hate all at the same time. We want what we know, what we are used to. We want the good feeling it brings our flesh; not the rain it brings...and it will bring rain, always. It's that choice we make, and keep going back to, that reminds us that we are weak and unable to stand tall. It is , in fact, that sin that we need to speak to and say, "SET ME FREE, LEAVE ME BE, I DON'T WANT TO FALL ANOTHER MOMENT INTO YOUR GRAVITY." I don't think we should focus on our sin, but being aware of that which keeps us down, which has power over our freedom, is good. It's good because when it rears it's ugly head, it rears it's ugly head in a soul that knows it's power over my weak flesh. I'm no longer blind to it's plan, its desired outcome. Light sheds death on that which holds me back. Knowing, puts me that that much closer to the freedom that awaits, moves me closer to the freedom that awaits others, through me. Call me crazy, but in this sad, lost, empty love song, I found a way to say enough and no more. Try it!

Gravity

Something always brings me back to you, It never takes too long

No matter what I say or do, I still feel you here till the moment I'm gone

You hold me without touch, you keep me without chains

I never wanted anything so much then to drown in your love and not feel your rain

Set me free, leave me be, I don't wanna fall another moment into your gravity

Here I am and I stand so tall I'm just the way I'm supposed to be

But you're on to me and all over me

You loved me cause I'm fragile when I thought that I was strong

But you touched me for a little while and all my fragile strength is gone

Set me free...

I live here on my knees as I try to make you see

That your everything I think I need here on the ground

But your neither friend nor foe though I can't seem to let you go

The one thing that I still know is that you're keeping me down

You're keeping me down

You're on to me, on to me and all over

Something always brings me back to you

It never takes too long

~In order that satan might not outwit us, for we are not unaware of his schemes.

2 Cor 2:11

~Sin is crouching at your door, it desires to have you, but you must master it.

Genesis 4:7

~For sin shall not be your master, for you are not under law, but under grace.

Romans 6:14

~For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.

Romans 8:13

~In all things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.

Romans 8:37

~Greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world.

1 John 4:4

Awaits Your Reaching

Valentines day is coming and I am so aware that it's not always a cheery day for everyone. Life is hard, relationships struggle, and if you are waiting for your love, it can be a long and weary journey. Hopeful one day, a big ball of doubt the next. When I saw this artwork I was reminded of our Father's love for us, you, me, the lonely, the not lonely. All of us. Because the truth is; a lover cannot satisfy your deepest needs and longings. A lover cannot reach down in the depths of who you are and meet the most driest of needs. A lover cannot find the hidden parts of your true self and make them glow with self confidence. A lover cannot know the longings so passionate in your heart, that he can make them be experienced just at the perfect time in history. A lover cannot know the undone parts of your painful history and introduce it to healing many years later. A lover cannot know the dreams and desires you have when you don't know them yet. A lover cannot find a friend that only he knows can bring joy and perseverance through the difficult times in life. A lover cannot know the plans that will bring you good and speak them into existence years before you taste the reality of them. A lover cannot hear your unspoken questions and answer them though ways you never imagined possible. A lover cannot cover a multitude of sins with perfect kindness. A lover cannot wash you white as snow, and then perfectly create a circumstance that causes that washed away sin help redeem others. A lover cannot create a divine appointment that will change your destiny. A lover cannot answer your prayer for a lost loved one or a dying friend. A lover cannot send away the evil that speaks doubts and lies to your soul. And although a lover makes us feel good and is our soul mate, a lover cannot love you with a perfect, I created you, love. He (or she) wasn't created to do that. So Happy Valentines Day, friend, because this day, lonely or not, you have found a lover that says,"Pick a Heart From my Tree of Life." It never changes, never dies, and always has the heart you need to pick. Everyday, every second, our perfect loving Father has the love note you need. So, married or not, your lover AWAITS YOUR REACHING and can't wait for you to know the surprises His HEARTS have for you.

Isabelle and Lennon: Sundy's version of a Norman Rockwell Painting... I will call it, "The Guardian."

Out of Ashes Comes Beauty

Today I drive...everyday, I drive. Thank you God, that you speak, when I drive. It doesn't always happen that way, but today it did. I love to hear Him. I must admit, there are times I HOPE I heard Him, then there are times I KNOW I heard Him. After all, He longs to communicate with us. He loves. Today, it was loud. You know, loud in my head, that is. He said, "Out of ashes, comes beauty." Out of ashes comes beauty. HA HA HA HA ....that makes me laugh! THAT MAKES ME LAUGH SO HARD FROM MY GUT WITH JOY!!! Only my perfect father can make beauty come from ashes!!! .......HA HA HA.... and in your face, devil, because it has nothing to do with my performance! It has to do with His grace, His love, and who HE says I am! Not what circumstance, the past, mistakes, sin, opinions of others, my performance, or even what my own heart says that I am. Out of ashes come beauty?? ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? ...so I did a word search! Out of ASHES, out of the powdery residue of matter that remains after burning, out of death like grayness, out of the residue of something destroyed, out of mortal remains and ruins, out of regret, out of remorse, out of remains.....comes BEAUTY, comes refinement, comes something extraordinary, comes something excellent of it's kind, comes loveliness, attractiveness, comes a quality or feature that is most effective, gratifying, or telling.

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because He has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives, and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who morn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion (even in Zion, we grieve)....and to BESTOW ON THEM A CROWN OF BEAUTY INSTEAD OF ASHES, the oil of gladness instead of morning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair." Isaiah 61

If you are reading this, you are beautiful. Out of ashes comes beauty. Out of your ashes, comes your beauty. Beauty that your loving Father has bestowed on you. He saw your ashes and in all that your ashes represent He created something beautiful. Even with your ashes visible to the world, your beauty is still your crown, a crown He bestowed on you . Know for sure this day, my friend, out of your ashes He will forever continue to create beauty.

DON'T JUST VISIT GRATITUDE, LIVE THERE!

Why is being thankful so hard? Why do we all have a chip on our shoulder and think that everyone owes us something? Why? I mean, think about it. Very often, all of us, at some time or another think we should be treated a certain way, respected to the point we think is acceptable, and given the utmost courtesy and respect. The fact is: we live in a fallen world with messed up, unhappy, very much hurting people....and to some degree, I am one of them. My rudeness, selfishness, and pride doesn't look like others, so I like to think I can judge those who I perceive to look worse. I think it's sad when Christians use their "judgment" to do nothing more than judge those around them, when really, it's just because their sin is different. If you have "mastered" a weak area in your life, if you have "conquered" a burden that has been victorious in your struggle to stay pure ..I want to challenge you in something today. Instead of becoming more religious and judgmental, try to become thankful. Ask our most wonderful Father to give you a heart of gratitude, so that when others are operating out of their hurt, sin, and pride, we don't take it personal, judge, and treat them different. We live in a world where waiters take to long, the grocery store lady is rude, the bill collectors have no heart, our friends can be two-faced, and our own family members feel like our enemies. That's life. What we need is a little more thankfulness. We need people who can smile back in the face of rudeness, give a gentle answer to turn away wrath, and people who are willing to ,out of the blue, thank those who have helped get them to where they are. If you want to make a difference, try being a bit thankful for even the smallest act of kindness done for you, and stop complaining when you're not the only person on the mind of a complete stranger that day. They could have just lost a loved one, got news of cancer, or even worse wants to end their own life. I'm not making excuses for rude people, but I'm done with making excuses for believers. When we have a heart of gratitude, we are humble, and we tend to be a bit more gracious in the way we respond to the crappy attitudes of others. Knowing that I too have been saved by grace, and that pride is always lurking around the corner to expose my evil heart is a good thing. Keeping that truth in mind can keep me from retaliating, lashing out, talking evil of others, and thinking I am better than others...aka pride! I WANT TO BE MORE THANKFUL! Jesus healed ten men of leprosy, and only one came back to thank Him...only one! One of the saddest scriptures is: "Were not all ten cleansed, where are the other nine?" then He said, ...rise and go, your faith has made you well. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since members of one body you were called to peace...and be thankful! And be thankful. And be thankful. (....ok, I repeated that, not Him)! I believe there are defining moments in our lives. A defining moment in your life can be when you are nice and don't want to be. When we can live and dwell in the thoughts of gratitude, and not just visit them every now and then. Thank you for reading my "preaching moment." It's crazy how even while writing this, I am aware of my need for this word, probably even more than you!