Fire for HIM

"...God is strong, and he wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way. This is no afternoon athletic contest that we'll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels." (Ephesians 6:10-12 MSG)     I had purchased some Gerber Daises for a friend of mine.  I have not made the delivery yet, so we have been caring for them in the mean time.  They usually have their fuzzy middles facing up and their hot pink pedals stretching out like rays of sunshine.  Today, we pulled into the driveway, and each of the blossoms were bowing low to the ground.  They needed water.  My children hurried to water them to bring them back to life. It has been my life's desire to always be pleasant ...

"But let all those who take refuge and put their trust in You rejoice; let them ever sing and shout for joy, because You make a covering over them and defend them; let those also who love Your name be joyful in You and be in high spirits." (Psalm 5:11 AMP)   God has made a covering over us.  Picture a giant, golf-sized umbrella over your head.  He covers us.  It is not always easy to trust Him in every circumstance, but He IS there - over us.  When we submit to Him, we give Him permission to hold His umbrella over our heads, wherever we go.     In the midst of a physical battle, I felt barraged by hell's rocks of fury.  I was exhausted and found myself wondering about the presence of heaven in all of it.  Most of us have been there.  If you have not, maybe you will.  I do not wish it on anyone, but we find ourselves stronger and better rooted on the other side of these ...

"In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will rest ore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation." (I Peter 5:10 NLT) Lately when I worship, I see myself spinning on ice with my head held back in abandon.  The Word has many scriptures on dancing before the Lord.  When my heart reaches out to Him or I know He is there, I begin to see a dance of worship in my mind that corresponds to my heart yearning to spin before Him.  The ice I have seen this week is like a frozen pond out in a forest.  The sun is shining.  It is beautiful.  My mouth is curved up in a smile, and my body is spinning wildly and with graceful movement.  I do not know how to ice skate.  I have been a few times, and my efforts are less than fluid.  Ballet doesn't exactly transfer to the ice without training.  My home...

                                             " By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days." (Hebrews 11:30 KJV)  Giving up can be a huge temptation.  I often feel that little tap on my shoulder, so to speak, to just throw in the towel when something is very difficult and my energies are expended.  My mind wants to say, "Oh, well."   I feel like I have done all that I can do.  But something beautiful can come out of that.  I can allow Him to give me strength to do more - to reach the goal at hand. A sweet friend gave me Lineage of Grace by Francine Rivers for my birthday.  I have been so encouraged by the elaborated stories of the women within the lineage of Christ.  Seeing them in t...

Yesterday, my three year old daughter was walking behind me on a sidewalk at a school.  I knew she was following me, but I wanted her closer to me.  I wanted to touch her.  I put my hand behind me and continued to walk forward.  When she did not grab my hand right away, I looked back at her to see if she saw me reaching for her.  When I realized that she was looking around and not at my hand, I turned around and gently took her hand and we walked together. Immediately, I was reminded of how the Heavenly Father does that for us.  He is ALWAYS walking ahead of us, aware of us, and desiring that we follow Him into GOOD things.  He longs to hold our hand and have us walk with Him, in ALL circumstances. My prayer for this week is that I not wait on Him to find me.  I want to run to catch up to Him, grab Him around the waist, hold His hand and walk with Him in JOY.  " But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lo...

I wanted to jump off the end of the pier... I picked up a Kleenex box and gazed at the picture on the side.  It was of a long wooden pier out over shimmering, blue water, with gorgeous mountains far in the distance.  I had the sudden urge to run down the length of the pier and into the water.  My senses longed to feel the joy of the bubbling water surround me.  I wanted to swim and swim, reach the other side and run toward the mountains.  Hesitancy and planning are the usual behaviors for me, so this impromptu longing was far from my practiced nature.  However, God is taking me to a new season.  A season of moving forward, at a marathon pace, is what my heart has been conforming to desire.  As I thought about this, I reflected on how He prepares us and plants desires within us for the place He wants to take us.  "As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness. "...

What shape will others see when I am gone?  I keep seeing all the wonderful tree sculptures all about.   Just as the buds blanket the branches of the world around them, these statues of wood that have served their seasons become obvious.  Each one tells a different story.  My eyes are drawn to the shape of their growth or struggle for survival.  The green spreads through the branches around them, life growing and preparing to make seeds and fruit.  Those too old to grow anymore are left barren, their shape pointing upwards to their Maker.  Reaching outward, outward and twisting in all directions...each tree taking a different shape.  Its skin showing, bark no more, the gray tower speaks of the life it lived.    What shape will others see when I am gone?  The twists, turns, and stature  Will I look balanced, or will I show that weather and man has pruned me with no thought of the intended sha...