Starting Today...

It's been too long since I stretched my heart out on this page...

The Lord...stirring something in me...brings life and truth and vision to upcoming days...I anticipate...
Revival.

I wrote on the last page of a journal this morning...something so nostalgic for me in that feeling of seeing final words written there, and then the closing of the book.

  So I re-opened it and flipped through the recorded notes of my heart.  Happy to be passed some of the things I walked through on my journey but also intrigued by places that I was at, places that I want to hold on to and remember, that I don't want to forget.  Oh how the Lord meets us like no other.

So here it is...a prayer written from early summer...remembered today...re-spoken...whispered to the Lord again.

"Lord, will you continue to blow soft your Spirit on the embers of my heart, on my husband's heart, my kid's hearts...fanning a flame that hungers more and more of you...unsatisfied by the empty pleasures and temptations and illusions of happiness that this present world suggests.  No, Lord...would it be that our hunger runs raw and deep for You--a love that satisfies, a trust that defeats fear...pure and holy.  That our family...a home full of imperfect people, could love you, grow closer to you...not fazed by illusions, not distracted with mirage--but could see You and be steadfast, confident in what is sure, what is true, what is beautiful...trusting, fearless, Divine inspired, Spirit directed, Truth focused and Graced Lavished.
I want this.  I want it for my marriage.  I want it for my kids.  I want it for our family and multiplied by generations.
And fear says to me, "What pain will we have to endure to have what I want, what I ask?"
Is pain the only way?
It seems...you ask for growth and it comes only through pain...so fear talks and it seems easier and less frightening to just ask for blessings and peace.
But I want Joy too.
Joy in the present and joy in the Presence of my Beloved Saviour.  Joy in obedience.  Joy in trusting, even when I feel afraid.
I want sweetness in the moment, anticipation that when I look at you Jesus, and look into your precious eyes for the first time, that I can look at you without fear, without shame, without regret....just joy.
I want more of you Jesus.
Breathe your Spirit of Life into me today.
Can I take just one day at a time?
  It's hard to look sometimes beyond today when the fear of the unknown future in these circumstances seems to loom in darkness up ahead...but,
I think I can do just one day at a time...

Lavished in Grace
Focused on Truth
Inspired by your Heart
Directed by your Spirit
Choosing to Trust you in Confidence
Free from Fear

Starting Today.

Grace

I came across a very simple, all encompassing definition of grace in my online course "The History of Redemption" at Blue Letter Bible Institute. In defining grace, the course instructor says, "It is simply this: Grace is God doing it. Write that down. Grace is God doing it.

Everything throughout all of human history has always been about God doing it. He spoke all things into existence. He breathed the breath of life into the first man, and "in his hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of all mankind."(Job 12:10) 

If even breathing -  the most automatic activity we do in life - would not be possible if God did not continue to ordain it, why do we still think we're in control and insist on doing things our own way? Why do I think that I know better than God? Seriously, without answering that question...and dealing with that... we will not move any closer to enjoying God's grace. We won't be comforted to know it's God doing it.

God is The One who has the plan - the perfect and glorious plan - that continues to go forward according to his will and work. We forget that...we forget that often.  Even as we've looked at the first chapter of Ephesians, we see how God has set everything up according to His purpose and plan. It's all about God doing everything for us. It's about God's incredible power in us. It's about God's Spirit working through us.

Grace is God doing it. The question for us in every circumstance today is this: Am I going to receive His grace? Will I submit to God doing it? 

Isaiah 30:15 has been a favourite life verse of mine. It is so contrary to how the world does things, but in light of grace meaning God doing it, it makes perfect sense for followers of Jesus.

For thus said the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel, "In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength." But you were unwilling... 

(and they did things their own way)

Let's embrace God's grace and rest in His working everything according to His will.  May God's grace produce willing hearts in us. By God's grace it's all possible.

Enough with the Christmas, Already...But Are You Sure?

I'm guessing that many of you have already beaten me at this but I'm supposed to be taking down my tree today.  I'm sitting here looking at it...sad to see it go but ready to clean things up and get the sadness over with!  So...I'll spend some time with you and tell you what I've been pondering these last few days and then...I'll put on my Christmas music one more time, and start taking her down and packing her up until next year.

I've still got a few presents sitting around the house that aren't officially put in there proper places and a couple of gift cards that I can't wait to spend.  I kind of love it when I still have something like that to look forward to after all of the excitement and feasting has passed, don't you?

Well....I guess that's one of the things that excites me so about Christmas....Jesus, our gift, born for us...is the gift that keeps on giving!  More than the bottomless pop and fries that you love to see on a menu.  More than a gift card that refills itself every time you use it.  More than the 50 million lottery jackpot or a free vacation a year for the rest of your life.

Jesus...gives to us what our hearts truly need.  Even if we are confused about what we think we want or need...He has for us, what He knows, is the deepest longing of our heart and He has it for us in a never ending supply, available to us every minute of every day for the rest of our lives and beyond.  And all we have to do is ask.  That just blows my mind.

Let's just break that down into two little things, even though there is soooooo much more.
From the 2nd verse in Ephesians 1:

We couldn't survive without GRACE and I wouldn't even want to without PEACE.  Thank you Jesus!
And EVERY SPIRITUAL BLESSING....come on sister, I can't even imagine what all that might be...and as Hans Solo said, "I can imagine quite a bit".  But if we even started to open that package here today, you know that I would never get my tree down!  We might have to save that one for another day.

Ephesians 1:2-6


Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,
even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.  In love
he predestined us for adoption as sons (or daughters) through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose (or good pleasure) of his will,
to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.

We were wanted before the beginning of time.  We were chosen and adopted by the King of the Universe.  And we have been accepted and blessed in the Beloved.  It's beyond my wildest dreams.

So there you have it...my current ponderings.  I'll be meditating on these few verses for at least a week, so if you have any thoughts  feel free to banter back with me.

Love to you all,
Julie

Seeing

When I see my weakness
help me seek your face
For you smile at me
When I see my weakness
may I see your grace
For you welcome me
Always

Crackers and Chris Tomlin

I've had a rough few days. Sunday and Monday to be exact. I don't particularly want to go into detail about why they were bad, or what happened to make them be bad, so lets just say that I was unhappy, mad, and Monday at work felt like I was in a haze all day. I spent the day pretending that everything was alright and I was doing fine. Not something that I am generally able to do, also really not something that I'm good at. I got home from work and was just completely exhausted. I spent the evening recovering, which, to me, is no contact with family or friends and a good book. So that's what I did. I spent the evening on the porch reading and later soaking in the tub with lots of bubbles, again, reading.

Today, I feel better except that I feel like I'm recovering. You know when you have the flu, how awful it is, and then when you start to feel better, you're still very tentative? Like, you watch what you eat, after you eat you sort of pause and make sure you're still feeling ok, that everything is going to stay down. When you move, you don't move to fast, or to sudden, you walk slower. You work your way up to what you eat. First its maybe some chicken broth (it's very rare that one gets sick off chicken) and then you move to crackers, and maybe some plain toast. That's kind of how I'm feeling. I'm examining myself, making sure that, yes, I am happy and, no, I won't be falling back into that slump this time. I'm waking up in the morning to Chris Tomlin's 'Jesus, Messiah' song (although, admittedly thats been my alarm for a long time). He's the music that I have playing in my car (thank you mom for leaving that cd in there). It's like it's time to recover from the flu. It's kind of a weird feeling.

I know why I was in a bad mood those days, and why they sucked so much and a lot of it, most of it, really, had to do with my relationship with God. I love Him, so very, very much, but sometimes I guess I forget (that sounds like a question in my head), its just so strange. I just stop including Him in everything and I get bored. Then, every little thing starts to bother me. I would like to think that I can withstand temptation and that my faith is strong enough to keep me strong in everything, but that's not really true. Satan knows what my weaknesses are and he uses that knowledge ruthlessly. *sigh* At least God is a forgiving, merciful God. My mom was telling me about her study of Gideon and how awesome God is to Gideon; how kind, patient and loving He is. At least I can know that when I stumble, when I fall, I have a God that is waiting there, with his hand outstretched, beckoning me to grab hold so He can lift me back up. Gives a body hope and freedom.

Hidden Beauty

The timing doesn't seem right to me but... but at our house, the flowers and bushes are starting to bud. The rhododendron are not far from blooming and the tulips are already part-way up. I saw new little buds on the plants in January. Maybe it has been this way before and I had just not taken notice of it. I am excited though because it is a promise of beautiful things to come.

I look at the buds and wait and anticipate that on the appropriate day, they will open and I will see the beauty that has been hidden for several months within the plant. The beauty was there all along, just in a different form. However, it took the changing seasons within the plant to finally expose itself.

It is that way in our lives, sometimes. We endure a time of growth that we had rather not go through only to find the hidden beauty. We are beautiful to God, but at times we don't see ourselves that way, especially if trekking through the harshness of winter in our lives. But as we allow Him to fertilize, nurture and prune away the dead stuff, it exposes what only the true gardener knows. All of this must happen to bring forth the the greater beauty. The plant is stronger, it weathers the storms, the wind, the hot sun, the cold rain, the aphids, the snow and ice and yet, bursts forth with incredible beauty that pleases the Maker and the eyes of those who look upon it.

As we go through the seasons of our life, may we grow in grace and become more beautiful everyday because of our Lord Jesus Christ abiding in us.

"But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be glory both now and forever! Amen." 2 Peter 3:18

Rise and Shine

I had an interesting encounter Saturday night when some teenagers that I don't know, came by my house and wanted to give me some books after I had put some candy in their bags.

One of those, was a small little book on etiquette with the title of "Don't". It is a hilarious little book filled with all the things that you're not supposed to do if in fact you don't have "good" breeding but you would like to act like you do.

As I mused through it's old world advice (as it was first printed in the 1800's) I began to ponder all of the things we "good" christians don't do for some of the same reasons.

I wrote down all of the things that came to my mind that

"good christians Don't do".....you know the ones....

"good christians"

don't drink

don't smoke

don't cuss

don't dance

don't fraternize with 'sinners'

don't listen to secular music

don't watch soaps

don't wear bikinis

don't ever skip church

or bible study.....

unless you're really, really sick....(and then it's okay)

the list could go on and I'm sure you've got a few that you could add to it....

I've struggled in my own life with what some of these issues look like for me. I've wreaked with pride when I felt like I was doing all the right things and none of the wrong things and gauged my spiritual walk accordingly. At other times, I've lived in fear of what others might think of me if they knew that I wasn't living according to all of the "good christians don't" rules. I've also judged others in their spiritual walk and made assumptions of where they might be in their spiritual journey according to my earthly view.

But you know....Jesus didn't do that. If anyone could have spent time judging others on this planet it could have been him. Instead, He spent his time speaking the truth and handing out grace. So, I spent time with Him this week confessing my heart to him on some of these issues and my tendency to make judgement according to the "good christians don't" rules (even on myself). I asked him to speak truth into my life concerning some of these things and He did.

He reminded me that He is always more concerned with my heart than anything else. He reminded me of something his Holy Spirit whispered in my ear a few weeks ago as I was waking up from a deep sleep...

That my calling is to acknowledge Him and glorify Him with my life.

And as we finished up our visit that morning, Jesus talking to me through his Word and Spirit and me talking to him about all of this...He impressed upon my heart three little words.

Be A Light.

Wherever you go, whatever you do, whomever you're with....Be A Light.

That is what matters....so I say, forget about all that other stuff... Be Real and Let's Shine!

My daughter has a way of saying things that make me laugh. I'm not sure where she comes up with some of the things she says, but she has a quick wit and a great sense of humor. One figment of speech that she has used recently has caught my attention, and it goes like this: Someone will ask a question about the behaviour of her dog, such as, "Why does your dog have to lie in the middle of the kitchen floor right when we're trying to get dinner ready?" and she will answer, "It's just his way." Or someone might say, "Why does that girl take such long showers?", or "Why can't she just eat her food like a normal person?" and she will pipe up, "It's her way."

It strikes me funny, because 1) no one is really asking for an answer and 2) it ends the discussion. There doesn't need to be any other explanation for the behaviour. It's just what he does. It's her way. That's all there is to it.

The other day I came across this verse:

Psalm 119:132 - Turn to me and be gracious to me, as is your way with those who love your name.

It's his way! To turn to us and be gracious to us is his way. That's what he does. That's how he is with us. Don't have to explain it, justify it, or earn it. It's just his way.

Turn to me. Notice me. Look at me. Give me your full-on attention. Hear what I'm saying. See what I'm doing. I need you to know what's going on.

Be gracious to me. Love me. Take care of me. Strengthen, help, and heal me. Forgive me. Encourage me. Move me and use me.

It's what he does for those of us who love his name. How could you know him and not love his name?! The God who owns the name that is above all names, turns to you and is gracious to you. Amity acknowledged it in her prayer on Friday's blog, "Surely, my concerns are known to You then. Surely Your eye is on me - the one You gave Your only Son for - and You care for me!".

It's his way. It just is.

My grace deck

We built out our deck a couple of years ago. Made it really big. We got it done in time for the two summer weddings we had at our house. We had no idea what we were getting ourselves into. Its size isn't the problem, it's the amount of frustration and time and labour and problem- solving we've had to put into it. I called it "my deck from hell" because of all the "what could go wrong, went wrong" problems we've experienced.

Two summers later - that would be now - we've had to do a "re and re" (as my husband calls it) on our deck. Re and re means remove and replace. So here we were this summer with this long drawn out re and re which was estimated to be a two day project. At the peak of the problem... let me rephrase that... at one of the key problems, when I was talking about my deck from hell... the Lord spoke to me. I had this conviction that it's all about grace. It's about extending grace, receiving grace and trusting in God's grace. So at that point in time, I began to refer to my deck as my grace deck. Am I ever glad I changed the name to my grace deck! This refocusing would prove to carry me through more difficulties.

This week was finally the week that we were able to get beyond the first re to the second re. Replacing. Wednesday night I flopped into bed exhausted after working the previous day, and all that day from 7:30 until midnight. I needed some encouragement. The "random" verse I read in a book I flipped open was
James 1:2-4
"Consider it a sheer gift, friends (Amity), when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colours. So don't try to get out of anything prematurely. So let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way."

As I was falling asleep and throughout the night, the Lord kept on saying to me,
"My grace is sufficient for you."
The song,
"Your grace is enough
Your grace is enough
Your grace is enough for me" also kept going through my mind.

Thursday morning was the ultimate test. My neck ached and underneath my fingernails were so sore from all the work, that I could barely move my fingers and couldn't bear to think we were going at it again. And we were only a third of the way through! (Maybe the size of the deck is one of the problems!)

Then I read Sweet Freedom's post. "Grace and Joy and Peace... who wants to live without it?" Did I ever need grace and joy and peace... especially that morning. We had arranged to begin working Thursday at 1 pm, so I had the morning to bawl my eyes out. I went for a walk with my mom, to loosen up a bit and to whine and cry. I read the post and cried, and continued to cling to God's promise of His grace. And I made it through another 8 hours of intense work yesterday afternoon and evening.

I will continue to trust God for His grace as we're far from done with dealing with our deck. My grace deck is more than a future lovely addition to enjoy, but it's about learning about God's character - learning about God's grace.

Grace and Joy and Peace...who wants to live without it?

Thinking about the grace of God today and the joy that comes from knowing Jesus.

Ephesians 2:4-7

But because of his great love for us,

God, who is rich in mercy,

made us alive with Christ

even when we were dead in trangressions--

it is by grace you have been saved.

And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him

in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,

in order that in the coming ages

he might show the incomparable riches

of his grace,

expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.

Oh and I love this....because Colossians 1:13-14 says...

For he has rescued us

from the dominion of darkness

and brought us into the kingdom

of the Son he loves,

in whom

we have redemption,

the forgiveness of sins.

May the knowledge of his grace and love and peace bring you joy today.

For the Joy of the Lord is your strength...seek Him for that strength and rest in the grace that is ours through his beautiful life and sacrifice for us.

I Need A Conversation....

I love the change of pace that summer brings...a much needed break. With the kids not in school, mornings are more relaxed and there's no lunches to make. I love sitting out on the patio. I love camping. Call me crazy, but I actually even love the heat. I just love summer.

But there are some things I miss in the summer. I miss conversations.

Don't get me wrong...I still talk to people in the summer...it's just that, I miss sitting around a table on a regular basis talking to people about Jesus...hearing what He's teaching you, rejoicing in a blessing, praying for a need....experiencing together the joy and grace of his relationship with us.

In my time with Jesus this morning...we were reading in John, and specifically John 1:16

And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. ESV

From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another. NIV

Beth Moore writes:

The original word for "blessing" is charis, often translated "grace." This explains the King James rendering: "And of his fulness have all received, and grace for grace." Charis is "that which causes joy, pleasure, gratification, favor, acceptance...a benefit...the absolutely free expression of the loving kindness of God to men finding its only motive in the bounty and benevolence of the Giver; unearned and unmerited favor."

I wrote in my journal...."What would be different if I lived everyday, so much in God's grace, his blessing, his charis, that I never thought otherwise? Oh Jesus, I know that I have received your grace...sometimes I just don't act like it and my mind forgets it. My heart knows that there is no other pursuit other than a precious relationship with you that brings true joy. And then, every other joy and blessing I experience, is even sweeter because I get to share that moment with You."

If you've got the time...talk to me. Tell me how you have experienced God's charis in your life lately.

Grace, Peace and Fellowship

Confessions: I am not a bible teacher, scholar or theologian...however, I will give you a peak into where my heart is at as I have been studying God's word...I invite you to respond or dialogue with me from this passage.

I have been camping out the last few days in Galatians....looking at different verses, pondering them, asking God to teach me and speak to me.

Fourteen years after Paul had met with the disciples the first time, he met with them again and shared with them what God had been teaching him and laying on his heart...and although his ministry was different from theirs...they extended to him the right hand of fellowship...or their blessing as we would probably say today. (Chapter 2:1-10)

I have been thinking about grace and peace and fellowship. Sometimes it is hard for us to accept things that look different to us. Paul says in verse 9 that when Peter, James and John acknowledged the grace that had been given to him through the Lord working in his life that they gave the right hand of fellowship to him and Barnabas to continue in the ministry that God had given them.

I can only imagine how protective of the gospel the original disciples were...Paul's background was sketchy enough. He and Barnabas were going against everything that was culturally accepted in that day...but they perceived by the Holy Spirit the same grace that had been given them and they blessed them.....even though, they did not agree on everything.

Grace and Peace and Fellowship.....

Oh, I think our view of the Lord can be so small. He loves to surprise us with the unexpected.

The people of Israel were expecting their King to arrive in royal majesty and power to save them from their enemies....Jesus showed up as a helpless baby, poor and common, and taught that they should love their enemies. The disciples were a ragamuffin band of fishermen and social misfits....God used them to change the world. Paul...the most unlikely person to follow Jesus...a religious fanatic, persecutor and hater of christians was transformed by the grace of Christ and became one of the greatest teachers of all time.

Just thinking about that, gives me hope and confidence when I look at my own life and the grace God has given through all of my mistakes and short comings.

May the Lord open my eyes and heart with more grace to see the unexpected and see Him at work among us....even when things look different from what I'm used to.

Grace and Peace

My heart is overwhelmed today as it has been these last few weeks. Do you know why? It is because I am amazed by God’s grace.

I have been reading the letters of Paul, who was the apostle to the Gentiles (non Jews) – who probably most of us also are. In each of the letters from Romans to Philemon, Paul greets the believers in Jesus Christ - or saints as he also calls them - with these words:
Grace and peace to you from God the Father
and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

After reading each of the letters my heart is literally pounding with the thrill of knowing this to be true! Because of the lavish grace God has extended to us through Jesus Christ - through his death, resurrection and ascension - we have peace with God and peace in our hearts. Wow!

Let the following verses thrill your hearts and give you assurance and peace. Catch how it's all about the grace of God and not about us! Catch what is ours through Jesus Christ!

Romans 3:21-25a
But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood.

1 Corinthians 1:30
It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.

Ephesians 1:3-14
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment—to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.
In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession—to the praise of his glory

Philippians 3:8-9
What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.

1 Thessalonians 1:10
…and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.

Now...
May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.
2 Thessalonians 3:16-17

I would like to say Amen! to what Amity wrote last Friday, and I will join her in prayer that "we would grasp that truth – that God would open our eyes to understand the grace that He lavishly pours out on us through Jesus Christ." Go and read her entry if you haven't already.

We have to believe that the newness of who we are now is real. Christ's death and resurrection personally received and applied to our lives changes who we are. And it's more than a new lense through which God sees us. He didn't need new glasses, we needed new life. New. Not there before. The inner being, the nature, the heart - it's all new. It's not that now God doesn't see the faults and blemishes. They are not there.

I can just hear some of you. But what about the things I do wrong, my bad attitude, my less than kind behaviour, etc.

These come as a result of wrong thinking - not as a result of a sinful, wicked heart. Our behaviour will be a result of what we think, what we believe. If I believe my heart is wicked and sinful, then I have no hope for living an abundant, joyful life. I will either live out the wickedness of my heart, or I will be defeated, because I can never do anything right. We must believe what God says is true - truth is good news and gives life and joy. Unfortunately, we find it way easier to believe bad news and our negative experiences, and so we go with what's easy. Sometimes correction in our behaviour is necessary, but it is a matter of exchanging the truth for a lie, since our behaviour will reflect what we believe. God desires that our attitudes and actions come from believing the truth.

Dear Sisters (and Brothers) it is crucial for you to know the truth and to believe it. Read your Bible, read your Bible, read your Bible, and ask God to help you understand it and believe what he says is true. Ask him to make it personal. He may not use chickens for you, but he knows what you need from him to make it your own.

Chickens and Grace

Just after Easter one year I got 12 chicks to raise for eggs. My adventure of being a wannabe farmer began with these chicks. Not all of those chicks were hens as I had hoped they’d be, so as time unfolded I had to roll up my sleeves and do some of the nasty business of good old-fashioned farming. What hilarious adventures we had! And what profound lessons God provided through my chickens.

Chickens are very curious and observant creatures. They notice the tiniest of details. They noticed when I had new nail polish, and when they notice something, they check it out by pecking at whatever they are curious about. Therefore I always had to wear shoes or boots in the coop and pen. That might sound like a no-brainer to some of you true farmers, but my city roots showed through when I thought I’d just quickly duck into the coop and check for eggs while wearing my flip-flops. For a while they were pecking at the freckles on my legs so I couldn’t even wear shorts. My fingernail that refused to grow back after a fungal infection became the main attraction of my fault-finding chickens. They didn’t just notice my imperfections; they’d also peck at each other and continue to peck until some of my poor chickens had no feathers left on their back side. Sad looking creatures, they were!

One day as I sat quietly before the Lord with a listening heart, I asked Him if there was anything He wanted to share with me in our time together. In my mind’s eye, I saw a big chicken head coming closer and closer and closer. The head became bigger and bigger and bigger and came so close to me that I began to feel invaded and somewhat afraid. “Why is this chicken coming at me? Why do even I see a chicken?” I asked. As I continued to watch and interact with the Lord, I wondered if this chicken was symbolizing God. “Are you coming close to inspect me - are you wanting to point out something in my life that needs to be addressed?” I’m aware that God brings correction to me at times, but this intriguing picture didn’t seem to hold that message for me.
I noticed that although the chicken was so close with its eye inspecting every part of me, it wasn’t pecking me. It wasn’t finding fault with anything it saw. The chicken continued to look at me so thoroughly, but still, no pecking occurred.

I began to understand the message that God was so uniquely and personally sharing with me. God’s objective – although He sees everything and knows everything about me – isn’t to find fault with me. His character isn’t like my fault-finding chickens. Nor is it like mine which too often resembles that of my chickens. Rather, God sees me through grace. He sees me through Christ’s righteousness.

Oh, I pray that we would grasp that truth – that God would open our eyes to understand the grace that He lavishly pours out on us through Jesus Christ.

So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view (or "according to the flesh" ESV). Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:16-21 NIV

I’m convinced that when we have this truth rooted and growing in our hearts, we will more readily reflect God’s character than the character of fault-finding chickens!

The Crosswalk

We complain about the cross we bear but we don’t realize it is preparing us for the dip in the road that God can see and we cannot.

Whatever your cross,
Whatever your pain,
There will always be sunshine, after the rain……..
Perhaps you may stumble, perhaps even fall;
But God’s always ready, to answer your call…..
He knows every heartache, sees every tear,
A word from His lips, can calm every fear….
Your sorrow may linger, throughout the night,
But suddenly vanish, by dawn’s early light…..
The Savior is waiting, somewhere above,
to give you His grace, and send you His Love.

May God fill your day with blessings!

Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle!

My mom sends little emails with daily inpirations to each of her children. This was one she sent to me last week and it seems so appropriate this week. I have a friend having to say goodbye to her dad dying of cancer, I have a friend who just buried her mother, my dad is not feeling well, and I have my own struggles... and there are so many others who's burdens are also heavy.

I find that awesome to know that Jesus is waiting to give me His grace and send me His love. How has Jesus comforted you?

New Year... New Beginnings

As always, another new year brings in thoughts and ideas of new beginnings and a chance to improve our lives, improve our health and improve our relationships with other people. We all have a certain amount of regret that we failed to be the person that we wanted to be this past year, we did not meet our own expectations. We push the pan of God's grace onto the back burner and allow the pot of condemnation to come to a full rolling boil; it's steam filling the air and infiltrating the whole room of our lives. We breathe it in and it saturates us, leaving us with no hope that things will ever change or get better.

Yet, our senses are brought to life by an aroma that can be compared to no other. It has been there all along. Through the mist and steam, we not only smell the aroma of God's grace, we begin to feel it; the peace, the joy, of God's faithfulness that has brought us through unimaginable circumstances and trials that we could not have borne or endured alone.

I am here this day, I breathe, I feel, I love, I touch, I hold... and I am surrounded by God's grace and mercy. Let us not forget how God has lead us through the wilderness but continue to look ahead, knowing that He is there to guide us, protect us and love us. How blessed we are to know this wonderful and awesome God!

"And the God of all grace, who called you to

His eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered

a little while, will Himself restore you and

make you strong, firm and steadfast."

I Peter 5:10

My prayer for you this year is Psalm 20

"May the Lord answer you when you are in distress;

May the name of the God of Jacob protect you.

May He send you help from the sanctuary

and grant you support from Zion.

May He remember all of your sacrifices

and accept your burnt offerings.

May He give you the desire of your heart

and make all of your plans succeed.

We will shout for joy when you are victorious

and will lift up banners in the name of our God.

May the Lord grant all your requests.

Now I know that the Lord saves His anointed;

He answers him from His holy heaven

with the saving power of His right hand.

Some trust in chariots and some in horses,

but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.

They are brought to their knees and fall,

but we rise up and stand firm.

O Lord, save the king!

Answer us when we call!"

Do not allow your life to be filled with regret or condemnation but trust in the One who gives us victory through His Son, our beautiful Christ!

"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those

who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus

the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the

law of sin and death."

Romans 8:1-2