What an awesome Creator God!

 I am always so in awe of the Creator when I spend time in creation.  Yesterday and today were no exceptions.  WOW!  I love being at the beach!  Yesterday's sunset across the Gulf of Mexico was just breathtaking.  The clouds, the waves, the birds...... everything.  Simply amazing.  As I sat there and watched the waves, the pelicans and other wading birds, and the clouds and the sun, I was hearing in my head...."In the beginning...... "  I am so thankful that Yahweh has revealed parts of himself in all of creation around us.  I think of the power and movement of the water.  What a picture of His power.  Each of these birds has been created exactly for their enviornments.  The pelicans that can scoop their food out of the waves.  The wading birds that pluck the sand fleas with their long, scooped beaks.  Then the sun.  The heat and light and the reminder of the SON who brings us into the LIGHT. 

Last night I was thinking about how I might reflect the Creator.   Yahweh, I am thankful that you have given me the ability to hear your voice and speak your words.   Thank you that I can affect my enviornment, just by Your presence within me.  How powerful is that?  To be able to bring a measure of peace to places of stress.  To be able to speak truth into places of doubt or discouragement.  To bring love and kindness when others bring hate and grief.  To receive everything that Yahweh is and has and then to just reflect those gifts. 

Yep, I am grateful to be a reflection of the Creator.  He is awesome and I don't have to do anything myself.  That is a wonderful blessing.   I can relax and just soak up the Creator.  He has such a wonderful plan.  All we have to do is just receive it.  I am going to just keep on receiving all that I can.   And then I plan on letting all of that awesome stuff, just be reflected out.   What a great way to spend a vacation.

 



 

 

 

 



I need to pay attention!

In the last two days I have discovered that, even though I have been writing this blog, I have not been taking in everything that I have written!   I blogged about the peace that Yahweh brings in the storms and the shaking.  I blogged about the covering of the love of Yahweh that surrounds us.  I blogged about the bitter-sweet rainbow after the storm.   Yet today I was amazed by Yahweh.

My husband Ken and I have just completed two "legs" of a rather long drive to reach our vacation destination(s).  Last night Ken drove in the worst storm I think I have ever experienced.  It was dark (after 8pm), there was SOOOOOOOOO much traffic - including large semi trucks, and the storm was beyond description.   We had about 45 miles to our hotel and at times I really didn't know if we would make it.  Our car was shaking, the road was covered in several inches of rain and you could not see a thing. The sky was just constant lightening strikes all around.  And did I mention that we were in the middle of downtown Louisville, Kentucky?   At the moment, I confess, I was not thinking about Yahweh's peace!  I should have been.   When we were about 22 miles from the hotel, and mostly out of the city of Louisville, I think I finally took a breath.  It was still a downpour, but the traffic had eased up and you could sort of see.  And I was just simply so grateful to have gotten through this storm.  It stormed for most of the night.  Both Ken and I were a bit shaken up.  As I was laying in bed, in my thankfulness to Yahweh, I remembered His promise of peace in the storm.

There were more storms predicted along our route for today, and I called on my good friends and intercessors to cover our trip in prayer.  And because Yahweh is faithful, we were able to avoid the majority of the major storms that were in our path.  We stopped and had a longer than usual lunch, which kept us out of a major storm crossing our route.  And just as we were passing the last major storm system (which never did cause us any rain), right in front of us, an amazing rainbow formed!  It was truly a reminder of Yahweh's promises to us.  The last 100 miles of our trip were clear sailing. 

So take my advice....... 1.  In the midst of the storm, remember Yahweh's peace!  2.  ASK for prayer covering and support - it makes a difference when you know others are standing with you.  3.  Remember Yahweh's covenant promises!  He always keeps them. 

Thank you Yahweh for calling me your child.  Thank you for your love and your amazing promises.  And thank you for being patient with me - even when I don't remember to trust you in the midst of the storm.  

Mean what you say and say what you mean!

Little Ellie, my 4 year old granddaughter,  announced yesterday that she was very scared of potatoes!  Of course she is not really afraid of a food item.  It was storming very badly and what she meant to say was that she was scared of tornados!  Today I have been thinking about the times when I may have said something that wasn't at all what I intended to say.  And I also have been meditating on the many messages I have heard that seem to have a hard time communicating what the speaker actually wants to say. 

Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could keep our communications to short, simple, ideas?  I remember once hearing that every speaker should keep the content of messages at a 3rd grade level since that is all most people can absorb.  I suppose some people might say that this is "talking down" to a crowd.  But, then again, I can often remember the children's message given during a church service and totally forget what the main sermon was about.  

I am very thankful that Yahweh doesn't speak to me in complex and confusing ways.  When I have received something, I know exactly what Yahweh is saying.  Sometimes I am unsure of the intended recipient or the timing.  But I know that I need to pay attention to what has been given to me.  So, here is today's short, simple message.....   "In the shaking and storms, I AM with you.  I will hold you and rain my peace and presence down over you, and in you.  Because I love you."

Thank you Jesus for being with me and in me.  Thank you that your peace is more than enough, even in the storm.   Amen

Moving on.....

My daughter Gwen and her family are moving this weekend to a new home.  The process started for them in February and it is now the end of June.  Even though this is really quick (on the current real estate timeline), it has felt rather long and drawn out.   I have lived in the same house for over 35 years.   So I can't say that I am an expert on moving.   The most important part of this move has been the fact that God has been in it all.  At every turn, the process has been surrounded by prayer.  I am so thankful for all the friends who have prayed and just listened as this process has gone on.  And the blessing is, that although they are leaving a house that was well loved, they are moving into a wonderful much bigger home. 

Yesterday, Gwen shared something she discovered in her college days, that has stuck in my mind!  "Home is where ever your stuff is and your people are!"   Isn't that great????    It's about what is really important to you - your things and your family.   And when you come right down to it, even the things are not that important.  Its all about the people.  When Yahweh is leading you and directing you, things seem to fall into place.   I am so thankful that Gwen and Tim spent a lot of time letting Yahweh put things together for them.  And what a blessing it is that they spent some time today, as a family, praying in their new home.  A great way to move on.

Which brings me to another nugget from HUB!  Yahweh is in the business of restoring all things! That redemptive work of restoration comes with shaking and sometimes even "crisis" for us.BUT when Yahweh is in it, it will work for our good.   So that means that we will MOVE from CRISIS to PROCESS.  That process is the way that the Holy Spirit works in us.  Because of that working in our spirit, a SHIFT will happen inside of us.  That SHIFT will move us to BREAKTHROUGH!  

So.....  CRISIS moves us to PROCESS moves us to SHIFTING moves us to BREAKTHROUGH!

Yep!  I want to be moving on to breakthrough in my life!  Just understanding this business of restoration makes it so much easier when you are caught in the the crisis or process part of it.  We are moving on!   We will not be stuck in that crisis or even in the process!  There is an end in sight. Psalm 23:4  reminds us that even in the dark, scary times we are walking through the valley. We are not stuck there.  There is movement going on.

Thank you Yahweh for speaking to me through my children and grandchildren.  And thank you for reminding me that you are not done with me yet.  You are moving me onward  to those breakthroughs.  Hallelujah!

Cultivating close relationships....

Here is another "nugget" from the HUB meeting on Friday night.  This is a season to cultivate close relationships.  This is the time to evaluate where you are really at with your relationships.   I've been thinking about this over the last couple of days.  I was very blessed on Friday night,  to be sitting next to a very close friend. That was a great comfort for me!   The speaker made the point that our relationships with people are a reflection of our relationship with Yahweh.   OUCH!   This is a hard message.   Are we deeply caring about others and expressing love and affection BECAUSE we are in that kind of a relationship with Yahweh????   Or do we have lots of superficial relationships - the kind of people who you talk with about the weather and nothing else?   Is this how your relationship with Yahweh seems?  Just a brief laundry list of cares and concerns? A distant sort of "drive through" relationship (you know what I mean - you speak into the box to someone you can't see - you MIGHT hear a short grainy message back IF you wait around long enough - you quickly pull forward and hope to receive a bag of whatever you have asked for).  I know this is not the relationship I want to have with Yahweh.  

So, I have been evaluating all of the relationships in my life.  And I want to have more deep, meaningful relationships with those around me.   I want to be able to really tell the truth and not worry about "what will they think?"    My daughter introduced me to another great blog called Momastery.   The author is a TRUTH TELLER.  And because of her blog, others see that they can be brave and tell the truth and develop those close relationships.  Her blog is wildly successful and has literally hundreds of thousands of readers.  People who are all looking for meaningful relationships.

I want to be a truth teller and a Yahweh seeker and a close friend that will be deeply caring about others. I want to have meaningful relationships.  I want to be expressing the love of Yahweh to those around me - his deep compassion and caring through my mouth and my hands.   So I will take the time to rest (see yesterday's post) and receive Yahweh's love so that I have HIS love and care to give out into my relationships.  This is not something that I can do on my own.  This is about taking the time to just receive a deeper relationship with Yahweh.

(you can read the Momastery blog at Momastery)

Endurance to rest

Over the last couple of days I have had more time than usual to think about and digest the
amazing words I heard on Friday.  And I am beginning to understand more about one of these words - Endurance to Rest!   Every time I go to a HUB meeting the verse "Be still and know that I am God" seems to come up.  Friday night, again - here was the the same message.   And the deeper message of having endurance to be still and rest and hear Yahweh. 

Guess what????  It is VERY HARD to be patient and have endurance to be still and rest.   When there are hours stretching out ahead of you, with no place to go and nothing pressing you need to do, you begin to grasp the meaning of endurance. 

Here is the Webster definition of endurance.......

ability to bear prolonged hardship: the ability or power to bear prolonged exertion, pain, or hardship

toleration of hardship: toleration of prolonged suffering or hardship

persistence over time: the survival or persistence of something despite the ravages of time

I love the idea of "ravages of time".   I realized that my "normal" is so busy, when I actually have a couple of free days, it feels like the ravages of time to me!  Isn't that sad?  And I know that I am not alone in this.   I am sure that if you asked 10 people in your life about being still for a couple of days, they would most likely discover the same thing.   It is difficult to simply be still.  

I want to take this one step further.  I don't want to just rest for the sake of resting.  I want to have the endurance to rest SO THAT I can receive all that Yahweh has for me.   That is where the endurance comes in.   It is the knowing that while resting, you need to have your hands, your heart and your spirit stretched out, to take in from Yahweh. 

Yahweh, help me to really rest, even despite the ravages of time.  I want to be a good receiver.  I am determined to be still, to rest and then to receive all that you have for me.  Thank you for this time out of my normal routine that you have provided for me.     Amen.

More Banners!

Last night I attended a worship night sponsored by Chicago HUB Ministries.  In my experience, it is always worth it to press through and get to the HUB meetings.  You can be sure that you will be in an anointed place and hear from Yahweh.   Just before I left the house, I updated my blog.  So the Banner was flying over me as worship began.   Suddenly I saw a rainbow of banners over me and noticed right away that there was writing on each banner.  


The first was the gold banner!  It said.... WAIT  WEIGHT
Then I noticed the blue banner! It said..... RAINING  REIGN
Then the third was the red banner! It said.... PRESENT  PRESENCE
The fourth was the green banner!  It said ....... PIECE PEACE
And the white banner was also there! It said.......WHOLLY HOLY

*Isn't it neat the way that Yahweh uses the words of our English language to speak?

I heard Yahweh say.................

Wait for the weight of my glory to fall over you, on you and in you.  I will be raining down the power and anointing of my reign. Open your heart and receive the present of my presence. All that I am and all that is in me, is in you.  Bask in your piece of my peace.  For it is my glory, my power and anointing, and my peace that is the path to wholly holy. 

                                                            

And all I could say was WOW!!!!!

 

The worship was so great.  The Word was just amazing.  There was even more revelation as the night went on.  It was a simply fantastic night.  Expect some future blog posts as I digest all the wonderful nuggets from last night. 

 

Thank you  Yahweh for speaking to me.  Thank you Nancy Mageira and Chicago HUB Ministries for all that you do to make these opportunities possible. 

 

 

His Banner Over Me is Love!

Tuesday night in worship I saw a wonderful white banner flying overhead. (Think a large, long flag that was fluttering in the breeze).  On the banner were the words "Wholly Holy".   No, this isn't a typo - it said wholly, holy.  I knew that Yahweh's message was that he was and is and will be always - totally holy.  100%.  No part of Him that is not holy.  Isn't that amazing?  I was blown away by this.  I am so grateful that I often "see" these pictures, especially for this.  Because if I had heard this, it would have just been "Holy, Holy".  And I would have missed the entire message of the night.  Yahweh is totally, entirely holy.  While contemplating the depth of this picture, I began to hear the song "His Banner Over Me" and knew that this banner was His love.  During the remainder of our meeting I saw that banner flying over us.  It was a picture of the great love that IS Yahweh.  Then, as we celebrated Communion together, I saw that banner descend on all of us in that room and fill us with His love.  What a great night. 

Later, as I was seeing that banner over me and over my family, I had a clear picture of a baby being swaddled in a blanket.  As a grandma and nanny I know the effect a good tight swaddle can have on a fussy baby.   There is a great comfort for infants when they are held tightly.  Some babies can't relax and burp without being swaddled.  And the Lord reminded me that in these times of great shaking, He is swaddling His people in the blanket of His love.  Even when we feel as if we are being tossed around and swung back and forth, His love is holding us tightly. 

Thank you Yahweh for your pictures and revelations that bring me such peace.  Thank you for your wholly, holiness that is who you are. I am so blessed  to have your banner of love over me, around me and within me.  
                               His Banner Over Me Is Love
    The Lord is mine and I am His, His banner over me is love.
    The Lord is mine and I am His, His banner over me is love.
    The Lord is mine and I am His, His banner over me is love.
    His banner over me is love!

    He brought me to His banqueting table, His banner over me is love.
    He brought me to His banqueting table, His banner over me is love.
   He brought me to His banqueting table, His banner over me is love.
   His banner over me is love!

    He lifted me up into heavenly places, His banner over me is love.
    He lifted me up into heavenly places, His banner over me is love.
    He lifted me up into heavenly places, His banner over me is love.
    His banner over me is love!

    He is the vine and we are the branches, His banner over me is love.
    He is the vine and we are the branches, His banner over me is love.
    He is the vine and we are the branches,His banner over me is love.
    His banner over me is love!

    Jesus is the rock of my salvation, His banner over me is love.
    Jesus is the rock of my salvation,  His banner over me is love.
    Jesus is the rock of my salvation,His banner over me is love.
    His banner over me is love!
 
One additional, interesting thing.  Tuesday was also the day of "Abide In Me".  Everything seemed to be about the vine and the branches.  I did not remember until finding the lyrics for this blog, that the message of the vine and branches is part of this song also!  So I will continue to reflect on abiding in the vine, as well as on His banner of love!

Abide in Him

Yesterday was one of those days that cause me to sit back and think, "wow - did that really just happen to me?"

 A little bit of a back story...... I have been a part of a ministry called Cyrus Ministry International since 1991.  The founders and directors of this ministry have literally traveled all over the world, sharing the message of Jesus.   In 2004 I was able to go with them to Kenya and Uganda.  It was a life changing experience for me in many ways.  A little over a year after returning from this trip, I received a phone call from Lucy, a women I met in Kenya.  She had been my translator as I ministered to several large groups of children at her church.  I hadn't realized it at the time, but the fact that she was there, was amazing.  Lucy was in fact a rather, well known radio DJ and a favorite among the people. She was not normally someone who would be doing translations.   Only Yahweh could have caused our paths to cross.   The phone call  was to announce that she was in Atlanta, GA and had just had a baby girl.  This baby was a miracle!  While we were in Kenya, my friends and I had prayed for her to be able to concieve a baby.  She and her husband had been trying to expand their family for more than 7 years. Yahweh heard our cry and here was little "Hope-Lyn", born in September of 2005.   I was touched and amazed that she and Lameck, her husband, choose to name that miracle after me.  Lucy said that my words from Yahweh gave her the ability to hope and believe that she would have a child and then there was Hope-Lyn.  Even as I write these words, it seems incredible that something like this would happen to me.   And  as I was soaking in the miracle, Yahweh spoke clearly to me ....... HOPE, LYN!   Not many people know, but during this same time frame, my daughter and son-in-law were trying to start their family.  And it had been many months.  While I was outwardly not very concerned, my prayers had been, "Please Lord".  And that day, I heard so clearly that I needed to HOPE - and not despair. The very next week, my daughter found out that she was pregnant with my sweet little Lia.   I went to Atlanta to be with Lucy and meet Hope-Lyn as she was dedicated to Yahweh.  And Lucy, Lameck and Hope-Lyn visited with us in 2007.  Both Lucy and I know that Yahweh has a much greater purpose for our connection than we are seeing in the natural. 

Which brings me to yesterday....  My cell phone rang with an international number.  I answered and was greeted by an amazing 7 1/2 year old  Hope-Lyn!  She wanted to sing to me (which brought me to tears) to recite a memory verse (actually verses -John 15:1-10 - in English) and to pray for me.  Yesterday morning, before this phone call, I was singing the song "You are the Vine and We are the branches".  Apparently Hope-Lyn heard the same thing from Yahweh, because that was the idea of her song also!  And that song is from those very verses in John.  Isn't Yahweh just so great!  I am so blessed and so thankful to know that around the world, in Kenya, I have friends - both young and old- who are thinking of me and praying for me.  

I can't help but think that these two amazing 7 year olds have not met by accident.  Yahweh has a divine plan and purpose for their lives that will be wonderful to watch unfold.   And Lucy is now an ordained evangelist. She has a very large ministry, Prayers Beyond Boundries, based in Kenya.  Her ministry includes an orphange that serves over 75 children. Take a look at her facebook page - Evangelist Lucy Wa Ngunjiri (Official).

And, yes, I am spending some time meditating on what it means to "Abide in Him". 

Thank heavens for Grandchildren

So my work ended and then I got to spend a wonderful day with my grandkids.  Oh my, how I love those kids!  Seriously, there is nothing better than being a grandparent.  Although we just spent the day "doing nothing", it was so enjoyable.  

Over the last 7 years I have collected some insightful and heartwarming thoughts that I call "Lia-isms" or "Ellie-isms".(Quotes from Lia - now age 7 and Ellie, now age 4)  These choice nuggets represent some of the best application of Biblical ideas and prophetic truths. 

Here is this weeks "Ellie-ism".   Ellie asked me to have a "sleep-over" at her house. She is very anxious to have a real sleepover. Lia (the older sister) has already experienced this and Ellie can't wait.  Ellie told me that there was  plenty of room in her "other bed" for both Jesus and me!   If you ask Ellie, she will tell you in great detail about Jesus being in her room with her at night.  (He sleeps in her other bed.)   Now some might say that she just has a good imagination, but this is much more than that.  These nighttime visits started when Ellie was between 2 and 3 years old.  She can tell you exactly what Jesus looks like - He has a "mush-tache"! Which for Ellie, means a beard.  And he has "all the colors" around him and also "has a fire".  I asked Ellie if Jesus talked to her.  She told me that he called her "Ellie".  And held her hand.

Wow!   She certainly hasn't heard passages from Revelation, but there is a rainbow of colors surrounding Jesus and fire!  And she also wouldn't know that Yahweh knows every one's name.   Jesus called Ellie by name.

Several years ago I wrote a small booklet called "Gods Plan and Purpose for Children". 
That booklet was born out of the idea that adults needed to have a better understanding of the destiny that Yahweh has for us that begins before we are born.  Yahweh intends to use children when they are children - not just after they have grown up.While there are many good concepts in that booklet, I had really only scratched the surface.  Now, thanks to Lia and Ellie, I am seeing first hand how much more is available through our kids.  Ellie and Lia know Jesus.  They don't just know stories about Jesus, they have encountered him, talked with him and even held his hand.

I love how much I am learning from these little ones.  

Here is the address to read my booklet -  God's Plan and Purpose for Children

  

Bitter Sweet

Today has been a day of contemplating all things "bitter-sweet".   My regular employment as a nanny for 4 children, will be ending for the summer in just a couple of days.  While I am so looking forward to some time off, one tight hug from the sweet 16 month old had me thinking how this job-ending thing is so bitter sweet.  I love these kids.  They make me smile and laugh on a daily basis.  I have the joy of watching them grow and change and learn new things.  And I get to go home at the end of the day and on the weekends.  And I get the summer off.  Of course, its not all fun and games.  There are the arguments and the homework (which is really a lot harder now then I remembered). Its not quite so hard with the older kids,  They won't change as much over the next couple of months (although it seems like they are growing taller overnight). And they won't forget me.   Its that little guy that is most on my mind.  When my duties resume in August, he will be 19 months old.  He will be a different little boy when I next see him.  Yep, this summer off thing is bitter sweet. 

Isn't it great how Yahweh gives us the "sweet" to balance the "bitter"?  I am so thankful for the sweet things that I haven't stopped to appreciate.  The little things that make a big difference.  The rainbows after the storms.  The light after the dark - the joy after the sorrow.  I'm going to start a list of all the SWEET that is in my world right now.   Tops on my list are my family -Ken, my kids and grandkids.  And today I am especially thankful to have another grandbaby joining our family in February, 2014. Summer after a long winter and vacation after a long year of work are on that list.  That wonderful hug from Michael will be on the list also.