Fire for HIM

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 ...

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)     ...

Remember the principle of the apple dropped.  Gravity.  Sometimes life is like gravity.  Today on the way to school, one of my children was facing something they didn't want to do.  They felt stuck and angry.  Another child said, "Look in the sky! Wow!"  We looked out of the front glass of our van, and there was a jet with his smoke trail moving straight upwards into the sky.  It was framed in front of us, as we headed down our driveway.  As we turned toward the school, we discovered the picture of what looked like a flower blooming already painted with smoke across the horizon.  I only have to travel 1.3 miles to school, but by the time I was turning back to go home.  The same jet had already moved all the way across the sky and returned back to move upwards again in the same spot we had seen him when we left the house.  I was stirred to remember that we can hold the hand of the Father and again and again move upwards to...

“ I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.” (3 John 1:4) What a motivator to seek truth!   Isn’t that the heart of the Father!   Wow, the verse above is how I feel about my own children AND the ones I love dearly.   Sometimes we find ourselves…with our mind and/or heart wrapped with lies about ourselves.   It is TIME to ‘wake up’ and see the truth about ourselves.   This evening I had a picture of the Lord taking great joy in my acceptance of the above truth.   My eyes open ARE HIS JOY.   It is easy to be lazy and follow after our same old patterns.   Today I want to follow after His truth and laugh with Him in the joy of it.  I'm not looking back.