Fire for HIM

ATTIC: To Store or Keep No More? From Grief to Joy by Letting Go Maybe it is GOOD stuff, but do the items we store really fit our needs anymore?  Opening a journal, I found a list of items with notes telling me to place them in the attic for storage , including telling me to push some of the items to the 'back' of the attic compartment.  The thought occurred to me that we often do the same with feelings and emotions, choosing to deal with them later.   "During those years, Joseph gathered all the crops grown in Egypt and stored  the grain from the surrounding fields in the cities." - Gen. 41:48 In the Word, Joseph was encouraged to store up to feed in times of drought.  What truly would happen, if we spent our energies storing what could be consumed in times of need or given as treasures to the future generations to come?  Instead of storing away grief or bitterness, we could fill our heart with the truth and comfort of the Word, le...

When asking this morning what my family should look like, I laughed to see cans on a string.  The cans were not perfect but splotched with color and dented with wear, bouncing along behind the bumper of a car.  These cans made plenty of noise, and neither driver nor passenger seemed to mind but rather relinquish the comical aspect of the adventure.  Their faces were full of joy and laughter, the sun warming their faces.  My heart was softened to see the analogy the Lord had given me regarding our role as parents and the collection of treasure that our full quiver really is.  With my tendency toward perfectionism, I truly was not expecting such a response from my Master.  My heart was open, however, and my eyes ready to see.  With just weeks or possibly days prior to the birth of our sixth child, the timing is perfect.  He is telling us to rest and delight in the imperfect gifts that He has given.  I believe His desire is for each canvas he ...

Although it sounds like a really nifty American Indian name, the phrase 'wind in her hair' stuck in my mind and heart earlier today.  In the note of adventure, I rolled the windows down as we wound up and down and around the curves of the country road we were visiting.  One baby in her seat, and two little girls sat in the back.  My rear view mirror caught a most delightful sight.  A six year old blonde was letting the wind wip through her hair, and she simply could not stop the delight coming to her face, including her smile as wide as it would possibly go.  Lately life has been throwing wind in my hair, tousling my hair in a most annoying manner.  My attitude quite frankly has been less than a smile in the process.   The condition of my own heart was on my mind as I watched in wonder and amusement at the Kindergartener in my backseat.  'Wind in Her Hair' could have decided to be mad, pout, or hide from the wind.  However, her attitud...

About fifty yards away, movement caught my eye.  Two things had happened to allow me to see such a tiny, magnificent creature positioned so far from my home.  Without the sunlight streaming through the treetops, it would not have been possible to see the spider working on his web.  Without watching, I would not have noticed.  But a gift was presented to me this very morning.  Not just the beautiful arthropod, suspended between the power lines, but a lesson was etched on my heart and found it's fingers into my mind.  In that moment, a question formed in my brain:  What gifts lie in wait for us everyday, if we were watching for them?  The light drew my attention outdoors.  The continued watching allowed me to see.  I was reminded of a wondrous parallel.  His light is everywhere, even the angels and Holy Spirit seeking to rescue those in darkness.  My heart cries out this morning, let His light shine into every heart and life to...

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Would you get out of the way?  This question sounds so rude, but it can be freeing to complete the request. What if we moved our selfish pride, fears, and ‘stuff’ out of the way between us and God? Would we be able to see more clearly and breathe better? " Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely." (I Cor. 13:12 NLT) Being that I am due to deliver a baby any day, my sisters came to help me complete the many tasks still on my list. My list quickly became obsolete, when these outsiders to my home invaded. They were on a mission of love to see my home run more smoothly, beautifully, and devoid of clutter and excess ‘stuff’ in every room. The task seemed overwhelming to me, but I wanted to help them paint, move furniture, and clean. One sister kept saying, “I love you, ...

While contemplating big change in my home, including cleaning out closets, reorganizing cabinets, painting marked walls, and adding new lighting, I began to think about our hearts and Psalm 51.  "Generous in love—God, give grace!  Huge in mercy—wipe out my bad record. Scrub away my guilt... You’re the One I’ve violated, and you’ve seen it all... What you’re after is truth from the inside out... Enter me, then; conceive a new, true life.  Soak me...and I’ll come out clean, scrub me and I’ll have a snow-white life.  Tune me in to foot-tapping songs, set these once-broken bones to dancing... God make a fresh start in me, shape a Genesis week from the chaos of my life." I had been feeling guilty about how I had let the dust bunnies pile up, papers get mixed with toys or dishes, overall need for upgrade in appearance and habits of use in my home.  But God is not a condemning God.  He is BIG, but he does not pound us with our sho...

When I looked out the window this afternoon, I was mesmerized by a constantly changing light pattern on the ceiling of the patio.  Circular in shape, this Kaleidoscope of movement provided a pleasant reprieve from the chaos around.  Thoughts of God's view of us and the call he has on our lives to live through him began flooding through my mind and heart. "...We constantly pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling,  and that by his power he may bring to fruition your every desire for goodness  and your every deed prompted by faith.   We pray this so that the name of our     Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace  of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. "  (2 Thessalonians 1:11-12 NIV) I chuckled to myself as I thought about the sun painting on the ceiling:  beautiful, waves dancing, always making new patterns.  The irony was that I had mentally noted the containe...

Translucency defined:  The act of letting light pass through...as frosted glass. (Webster's) Most everyone has observed or used frosted light bulbs.  We were replacing a few yesterday.  They are very fragile objects, but they change the appearance of a room, making everything in it more visible.  I heard a testimony a few days ago of an individual that had submitted their heart to Christ after running for years.  They described seeing the world through different eyes and hearing the birds chirp for the first time.  Their focus was no longer on themselves, but their senses picked up on all that God delights in.  He delights in us.  Some of us are more fragile than others.  We are all different, hand-crafted by the same Creator.  What if we truly let His light shine through our humanness, giving Him the ultimate glory?  That is my desire today.  I long to see myself through His eyes, grasp hold of my purposes like never befor...

In my family, most of my sisters could care less what others think about them.  For me, it has been a struggle as far back as I remember.  Really, though, why should others' opinions matter? I am not saying to be mean and cruel.  Maybe why that is why it has been so important for me to examine my actions and words.  I could not stand when others around me were hateful or insensitive. Regardless, if anything weighs so heavily in our decision making...it can consume our thinking and shade our judgement.  " ...We will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about.... We will not be influenced... with lies so clever they sound like the truth. Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church." (Eph. 4:14-15 NLT) Truth: God's truth does grow us up in Him, molding us to a heart more like Christ.  It is time we speak the truth in love to ourselves about...

Low light outside Haze wrapped around me Trees holding their breath Unmoving and at peace Bunny nibbles  On blades of grass Light scent of roses Red with delight Beauty and blessing  Still morning provides

Last evening, my children were watching a historical cartoon.  In the movie, someone looked into a shiny helmet and saw their eyes magnified.  This image startled the character.  What they saw was distorted due to the convex shape of the mirror.  How often do we find ourselves looking into a convex image?  We even put that looking glass on our heads and wear it like a helmet (our daily thinking about ourselves).  Every time we take it off to check our image, we see that distortion looking back at us.  We have allowed the convex nature of the mirror to determine our perception of ourselves.  According to the physics classroom, the focal point is in direct correlation to the distance of the image from the mirror.  Anyone else out there feeling conviction regarding our human nature and thought patterns?  This spoke volumes to me.  God did not intend for us to see distortio...

Due to Sandy Hill events, this post (originally planned to release 12/13/12) was delayed until today. Our prayers continue to be with all who have been touched by this horrible tragedy.  Let us not blame God, but rather pray that good overpower the evil in this world.  The first time I shot a rifle, I was probably seven.  We were not raised as hicks (not that it would matter if we were), but my father taught me about the works of art in his locked gun closet.  It was important to him that I know gun safety and how to use a gun appropriately.  While attending a girls' camp at the age of 11, I took and passed a gun safety course.  I learned so many things that week. Although I do not like the kick of a gun, it is quite a thrill to hit the target.  To attempt to hit the bull's eye, I had to practice.  It was a MUST that I looked through the sight of the gun (looking down the barrel and lining up the target with both the back and f...

"Guts and glory" is a phrase so many of us have heard.  In the process of my own fleshly battles these last few weeks, this phrase has been rolling around in my head.  I ask myself, "Will I make decisions based on my 'guts' or flesh or will I be willing to tap into the Father's heart 'glory' and be led by the Spirit? My flesh or angry instincts often get me into trouble.  I don't recommend anyone burn rubber in an attempt to let others know you don't like their driving decisions.  We all let our emotions lead us around at times.  Do we really want to be the stubborn bull with the ring in the nose?  Not I.  In order to assure that I be lead by GLORY more, I made an acronym to remind me to calm down and seek Him first.  God Loves Our Requesting Yells - for HIS help I hope this helps you or inspires you to find a way to put on the brakes of making hasty decisions, that always have some sort of sour consequences anyway.  Hi...

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters," (Col. 3:23 NIV) In the quest for further freedom in the new year, my cry has been to the Lord, 'Unleash all the truth, no matter if it reflects the good-bad-ugly, so that I can surrender what weighs me down.  I want YOUR truth, Oh Lord.  Let my eyes see what you see."  He made it very clear that I was His daughter and that He accepted me as I am.  Then...he pulled back the veil from my eyes.  I was holding a yellow stick, measuring ten feet tall, beside me.  It was the measuring stick I was using for myself, my appearance, my parenting, my time schedule, my efforts.  Perfection, towering far above my own abilities, comparing my daily everything to its height.  I then saw myself pick up that stick and beat myself over the head with it.  Condemning myself for not reaching the standards set by my heart...not H...

Identity can be tricky, especially if we cannot TRULY see who we are.  Many of us have seen the movie 'The Man in the Iron Mask' that was on screen several years back.  The thought of the mask came to mind recently as I pondered about our sluggish and caged thinking in relation to our identity in Christ.  The mask hid who the prince really was, an equal heir to the throne.  It did not change who he was, the identity was simply hidden beneath the heavy laden burden of what others had applied to his face.  He was isolated in the tower, simply because his identity was hidden.  What is the truth about our identity? 1.  We are His masterpiece. (Eph. 2:10) For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. 2.  We are wonderfully made. (Psalm 139:14) Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it. 3.  Ou...

Reflecting over the past few days, "little things" had been making me extremely angry.  Being that I am usually of a calm temperament, this emotion has brought me to scratch my head in wonderment.  It was as if 'something' was simmering on the stove of my heart.  These "little" events or aggravations turned up the heat and caused what was already cooking to boil over, making a mess of my emotions.  As I restrained myself from analyzing (my comfort blanket) but did some soul searching, I was able to find the ingredients simmering beneath the surface. What I found was a potentially toxic remedy I had allowed to be concocted.  If you have ever seen baking soda and vinegar mixed together, the reaction of my ingredients was much like that.  I had allowed the bitter and the sour to be stirred together.  What happened?  You may ask.  One particular 'incident' was when my eldest child hid another child's new toy.  I let THAT act make me so...

Recently, an evangelist was speaking on vision and talked about the passage of Genesis 30.  It seems so many are talking and writing on vision.  What a great topic to stir us to move forward!  In Genesis 30, Laban tried to trick Jacob out of his inheritance.  Laban told Jacob he could have all the spotted or streaked animals, but then Laban hid those animals with his sons to keep them from Jacob.  In return, Jacob gave the animals left in his care an image to focus on in order to change the situation.  Then Jacob took some fresh branches from poplar, almond, and plane trees and peeled off strips of bark, making white streaks on them. Then he placed these peeled branches in the watering troughs where the flocks came to drink, for that was where they mated.   And when they mated in front of the white- streaked  branches, they gave birth to young that were streaked, speckled, and spotted.   (Gen. 30: 37-39 NLT)     ...

(Disclaimer:  Although not graphic, the following blog may be disturbing to animal lovers) A few years ago, a black and white stray cat had five kittens in our hydrangea bush.  After fostering her and the litter for Animal Rescue Foundation, we kept two of the kittens (one tabby gray, one fully black).  Both have always been very docile and loving.  They were made to live outside due to their potty habits indoors, but they were fixed and have been pampered greatly by the six of us throughout their lifetime.  The children would even make them beds next to theirs or carry them in their purses when they were kittens.  The cats became comfortable being carted around in cotton pillow cases and would relax and fall asleep on jousled walks with the kids.  I tell you all of this to let you know they were a treasured part of our family. Driving  my children to school on Friday, I saw a fully b...

I was recently at a conference where the speaker was referring to the different stages of freedom.  That "stuck" part of the process of freedom call "I can't" came to my mind.  A log jam was the description of the speaker.  I could see myself standing on the edge of the log jam...on top of the pile of logs.  I was wishing and waiting on the "break free" and waiting.  "The Lord is my strength and my shield; My heart trusted in Him." Psalm 28:7 I realized that the log jam represented my trying to do in my own strength what the Lord asked me to do in His.  Suddenly, an active video of freedom formed in my heart and mind.  I no longer had to struggle to kick out of the jam, I simply had to raise my hands in surrender.  As I did, I flew as if on wings.  He was waiting in this glorious river of freedom.  Together, we swam as one.  He was the leader.  He led me in a dance of freedom in the water and in the sky.  Colors a...