Stay with me today.  Last night I had a very odd dream.   A strange dream.  And I have spent the entire day trying to figure out exactly what was going on....what was the real meaning of this dream.  Now I didn't have much time to ponder today.  It was a very busy day at work.  Lots of kids, rain (so no outside) and then to add to the "normal busy" we are getting 3 new kids on Monday and it was the beginning of the month.  The new kids mean making new name tags, cubby markers, file folders, etc. And with the beginning of a new month all of the cubbies get new name tags, the calendar has to be changed and bulletin boards need to be changed.  So it was while I was on my way home from work, that things started to "click" about this dream.  And, I am showing my age, I doubt that most of you will remember the crazy show that was the story line of this dream...

I very clearly remember watching this cartoon in the morning, before school.   I was a "latch key" kid and I was responsible for getting myself out the door to the bus stop and this show was my "alarm".  When it was over, I had to leave the house.  I looked it up on the internet and found out that it began airing in 1960.  There were 59 episodes and I found it very interesting that each episode was created in 6, 5 minute blocks.  It was intended to run one segment each day and then rerun on Saturday as a full 30 minute show. And that last 5 minutes held the solution to the problem.  So you had to watch on Saturday to find out what happened.  Clutch (the white haired guy) was quite the adventurer.  He was part 007 and part explorer.  The little boy, Spinner, and his dog Paddlefoot always went with him on his adventures.  Swampy provided the "information" that was needed to complete the mission, but always in some odd way.  This show had TERRIBLE animation.  Anyone who saw this show today would wonder why we had even watched it.  However, there was a real educational component to this show.  Every episode took you somewhere around the world.  And there were great things learned through every show.   Anyway....here is my dream, and what I think I am supposed to take away from this dream.

 

I was on a Clutch Cargo adventure.  I don't know exactly where we were headed, but we were in that amazing plane that he always had (just a note, that plane was one of the best things about this show). The interesting thing was that Paddlefoot was talking to me!  And the only thing he said was "your mission is to go to the nations".  Okay, I understand this message, but why Clutch Cargo? And why Paddlefoot?  Here is my first thoughts on this dream.   I believe that I need to hang on to the earliest message that I received from Jesus.  (Get it??? CLUTCH - hang on to CARGO - the message, the word).Especially important in this is that my first very clear encounter with Jesus happened around the time that this show began to air.  And the message I received was that Jesus was real, I had walked with him in a beautiful garden, and I needed to tell everyone about this.  And I believe that the reason it was the dog that spoke to me in the dream, was to remind me that messages come in very different ways ...... expect the unexpected.   

 

I'm not sure if this is the entire word behind this dream.  But tonight I am feeling a bit nostalgic for Clutch Cargo.   But more than that, I am so thankful for that early dream I had and the way the Holy Spirit has continued to use this dream to speak to me.  And I am very grateful that I have plenty of time to ponder this dream.

 

Jesus, thank you so much for using everything - even a silly old television show - to get our attention.  Holy Spirit, thank you for speaking to us in sometimes hidden ways.  Help us to ponder these things and go deeper, rather than just dismissing them.   Thank you for your message to all of us to go to the nations.  And keep us expecting the unexpected.   Amen



A little bird with a big voice.....

Tonight I had one of those amazing, Grandma moments.  I got to see Lia perform in her first musical.  It was a children's production of "Annie".  Now this is interesting for a couple of reasons.  When Gwen was young she just about drove us crazy by watching the video of the Annie, over and over.  As a matter of fact, not so long ago, Ken and I decided to use the "parent's curse" and gave Lia a DVD of this same movie.  And Lia loved it almost as much as Gwen did.  So, when she said she was going to audition for this musical, I wasn't really surprised.  However, she is only in second grade and 7 years old.  A lot of the kids who auditioned had already been in previous musicals put on by this Theatre Club.  Lia was given a speaking and solo singing part as a "lead orphan".  Quite a big deal for her.   She learned all of her lines, went to all the practices, and did a fantastic job tonight. 
Oh how she loves to sing and dance.  And she loves the stage. 

I couldn't help but think about her name frame.  

Lia is that little bird with a big voice.   I am sure that there will be many times in the future when I will see Lia walking out this prophetic word.  I can't wait to see exactly how that happens, but I know it will.  I wrote recently about her strong faith.  An important part of Lia's word was that she was going to be a voice to her generation.  She would reach her peers and lead them to the truth of Jesus.   As we were leaving tonight after the production, over and over kids were calling out to Lia with congratulations and "see you tomorrow".  She is a well liked little girl. I am quite sure that there will be many, many times when I will see and hear Lia, on the stage fulfilling her destiny. 

I was thinking about the "Seven Mountains" that Lance Wallnau speaks about.  The  7 Mountains Mandate, in which Christians seeks to gain influence over the "mountains" of government, church, education, family, media, arts, and business.  Sometimes it is difficult to see that our destiny from Jesus might take us away from the church, and land us directly in the arts.  I love that I was reminded today that might be the case for my Lia.   No matter which mountain she ends up on, she WILL be that big voice that speaks the truth, and changes people. 

Jesus, thank you for Lia and all of those kids in her production.  Bless all the workers who guide these children.  Give them grace and patience.   Jesus thank you for reminding me that you are with us in all things, wherever you lead us, no matter what the mountain we land on.  Holy Spirit, speak clearly to us so that we can see your destiny for ourselves and our families. 

Times of transitions......

When you wake up, and it is cold and rainy and dark and gloomy, it is hard to feel good.  I know I have blogged a lot about the weather over the last months.  And I should NOT be complaining because it was not snowing.  I noticed on my newsfeed on Facebook this morning, that several of my friends had snow in their areas.  Driving up to Gwen's in a downpour rain storm was no fun.  And it is no fun getting kids and backpacks and all the stuff that you need, along with a baby and all of that stuff, inside...........in the middle of a downpour.   But as I was waiting to drop off Ellie and Zeke in their respective rooms for preschool, I noticed something.   There were lots and lots of really happy kids running around.  They were wearing raincoats (that in some cases were a bit too big), rain boots, and many held fun and fancy umbrellas.  They were so glad to finally have rain so that they could use all of these wonderful accessories.  I couldn't pass up this picture, outside of Ellie's classroom.  And the truly ironic part of this picture is that Ellie did NOT wear boots today!  And anyone who knows Ellie, knows that she has been known to wear those rain boots when it is 70 and sunny.  Or 30 and snowy.  But for some reason, today she choose to wear her "heels" (her dress up shoes that have a small heel). 

Anna was being very good this morning, and took a long nap.  So I had plenty of time to think and pray.   What a gift this special time is!  (I am so thankful for this day off that was intended to help Gwen, but has also turned out to be such an amazing time for me, on so many levels).  One of the first things that came to my mind was that I had seen  rows of snow boots for many months, but this was the first time there had been RAIN boots. So I am celebrating that there has been a transition!  Yes, in the physical...from snow to rain.  From winter to spring. From snow boots to rain boots.  But can't you just "feel" the transition in the Spiritual also?   I can't quite describe it, or put my finger on it, but to me to feels like a shift has happened.  

To be honest, this year has not been a "beautiful spring".  There have hardly been any flowers around yet.  The trees haven't bloomed yet. (Still waiting on our tree to bloom).  But today I was thinking how wonderful the rain really is.  Both the physical rain and the Spiritual rain.  Most years the rain is just sort of an annoyance in the early spring.  This year the rain is so much more.  It says that there will be NO MORE SNOW!  In the Spiritual, the rain of the Holy Spirit this year seems to also have that same feel.....no more darkness and cold.  I don't know about you, but in worship and/or prayer there seems to be an anticipation and excitement that is just different.  It feels a lot like those little preschoolers must have felt this morning.   You know, excited and happy and glowing and free - just because it was raining.   I can't wait to see what is coming! 

Jesus, thank you so much for rain!  Thank you for washing us clean in your blood.  Thank you for that Spiritual rain that the Holy Spirit brings to us.  Jesus keep us all expectant and excited about what you have in store for us.  Remind us to celebrate each day like those kids. Give us courage and grace to run in the rain and jump in the puddles.    Amen

Finding Balance in all things.........

I just love this picture of my three little sweeties.  This was a wonderful trip to the park on Easter Sunday.   Lia's stance is the perfect picture of balance.  This is not an easy task for Lia.  She is doing a great job, even though, it is work!  I woke up this morning thinking about balance.  It was a surprise to me, since this has not been a particularly busy or crazy weekend.   As I was standing in the shower, I was wondering why this word was so on my mind.  I felt the gentle whisper of the Holy Spirit saying, "Just Wait!".  Interesting.  There must be something on the horizon that will require a "balancing act" on my part. 

I've been so thankful that I've been able to do a bit of balancing this year, as I have only been working 4 days a week so that I can spend 1 day helping Gwen with the kids.  The work/family balancing is really something.  It is actually very hard for me to NOT work full time.   Some of it is the financial aspect of it, but it just feels odd to not be always working.   I am so thankful that the job change I had in October paved the way for this.  It's one more way that I love to see the hand of Jesus on ALL THINGS!  Even those really hard things like a job change.  Now, to know that this ability to BALANCE was all part of the plan, makes it mean so much more. 

Then this evening I felt a bit of that balancing act coming into play.  I was ready to go out to a Sunday night meeting, but it was doing a bit of storming.  So, I wasn't ready to run out the door.  Even though I got a phone call from a friend who was actually AT the event I was intending to get to, I still just couldn't quite get out the door.   I felt the need to balance my desire to attend that event and this feeling that I should stay home.   Thankfully, the RAIN made it easier.    Then my phone rang.  It was another good friend that I had not spoken to for some time.  We needed to catch up!  Just as that call came to an end, another friend called me.  Once again, it was a call that I needed to have.   And at the end of that conversation, Gwen called me.   I needed to be home tonight to take those calls.

While I still have the feeling that there might well be a much bigger, more difficult balance coming my way, I am not very worried right now.   As a matter of fact, I just LOVE the picture.  The kids were so happy and having so much fun!  There was so much JOY!  I will remember that joy and be thankful tomorrow when I balance my way to Gwen's!  I can't wait for those hugs and kisses that are sure to welcome me in the morning. And I will seek to remember that joy, no matter what comes up that requires a balancing act that seems out of my ability.  Because, of course, it will NOT be too much for Jesus!  I'll let Him do the balancing!   

Jesus, thank you for your love and your care.  I am so grateful for my job and the freedom that I have to spend time with my kids and grandkids.  Holy Spirit, thank you for revelation and putting a thought into my heart.  Continue to speak and give me wisdom and grace to balance!  Amen

And here is a bonus picture of the adults and Anna (and dogs) also enjoying the park on Easter! (Hey, I'm balancing a picture of the kids with a picture of the adults!)

Another part of my story.... Eternal Prayers!

 Johann Conrad Tonsing (1801-1869) and Anna Clara Welcher (1806-1876)

(My great-great grandparents)

 

Clara Marie (Weingartner) Toensing (1838-1889)  and Ernst Fredrich Toensing (1834-1912)

(my great grandparents)

 

Last night, one of the artists actually asked me to talk about something I had mentioned in passing in my talk.  It was about my great grandparents and my great-great grandparents.  I shared that one of the first times I really realized how connected I was to my ancestors was when I stepped off the airplane in Kenya, Africa.  The Lord brought me revelation that my Africa trip was a fulfillment of years and years of prayers that were prayed by my great grandparents and my great-great grandparents and it helped me to understand the plan and destiny that Jesus had for me!  Somewhere in the late 1860's, in Germany, my ancestors were preparing to bring Jesus into all the world.  Johann and Anna were sending two sons, with their wives and children, to the United States.  They were also sending one daughter and her husband to Africa, into the unknown.  Ernst, (my great grandfather) and his brother were their two sons.  My great grandfather, Ernst and his wife Clara had been married for about 8 years and they had 4 children (an infant, 3, 5 and 6 year old).  They traveled from Germany by boat and unfortunately, their infant died at some point during the trip.  My mom always talked about how tragic this must have been for her grandmother.   After settling in St. Paul, Minnesota, my great grandparents went on to have five more children including my grandfather, Henry Arnold Toensing.   Although my mom never knew Clara and Ernst, she was told often that they had prayed for their cousins in Africa.  And she was told that they also prayed that someone in their family would go to Africa - not just to VISIT those cousins, but to share Jesus.   For me, that "AH HA" moment was the understanding that PRAYERS ARE ETERNAL! What we pray about may not find fulfillment until long after our earthly life is over, but OUR PRAYERS EFFECT THE SPIRITUAL ATMOSPHERE  AND THOSE THAT COME AFTER US! 

 

I am so grateful that Johann and Anna knew, at some level, that their family - their future family, had a destiny to share Jesus in Africa.  And I am grateful that they were brave and courageous and sent their children all over the world.  Johann died in Germany.  Anna came to the United States and died on her grandson's farm near Atwater, Minnesota.  She is buried (as is  my great grandfather Ernst) in the church graveyard near Atwater.  Clara died in St. Paul and is buried in our family plot

 

So, after that really long and drawn out story (and thanks for staying with me), THAT is why those name frames for Lia, Ellie, Zeke and Anna are so important.  Because those words will not be lost or forgotten.  They will be prayed and talked about as the kids grow up.  I have been praying those words and I will continue to pray them - making the declaration into the Spiritual realms that are eternal.  I am convinced that one day.... who knows how long from now..... there will be a deeper understanding of the Prophet, Warrior, Priest and King expressed in those frames.  

 

Today, I encourage all of you to pray and seek understanding, not only of the present, but of the past.  You will be blessed as you begin to see a clearer picture of the destiny that Jesus has for your family.   Ask for revelation of the destiny for your future generations.   Pray and declare all that you receive.  It will effect those that come after you! 

 

Jesus, thank you for the faith and trust my ancestors had in you and the Gospel message.   Holy Spirit, thank you for the revelations that you have given me.  Help all of us to take in this message and meditate on all that you bring to us.   Thank you for reminding us that prayers DO change things!    Amen

 

PS -  Just a little added note.... when looking at these old pictures and confirming dates, I noticed that there are 66 Anna's on my Toensing family tree!  Yep, Anna is a family name for sure!  

Fish out of water.... and much more

I had an amazing experience tonight.   I have blogged about the book "Speaking To The Heart" by Lynn Zuk-Lloyd, that includes the scrapbook frames I made for Lia, Ellie and Zeke. Tonight there was a gathering that included some of the artists from that book.  Lynn very graciously invited me to attend and speak a bit about my "artwork".  I couldn't imagine what I would share and being surround by so many who are truly artists, was a bit intimidating.  I did feel like a fish out of water.  I was praying that Jesus would give me the exact message that I needed to share for this audience.  And, in the end, I shared something very different than I had planned.  When I sat down, I wondered why I was there.  When Lynn introduced me, she shared that I was the first person to introduce her to "prophetic art".  I had led a prophetic watercolor painting workshop that she had attended and it was the first time she experienced seeing a message in art. I was stunned.  I had one of those "hind sight" experiences of understanding how Jesus uses everything that we do.  Then, after the event ended and all of the people were milling about one of these amazing artists came up to me and expressed how I had inspired her to create a piece of art for her grandson.  She had never thought of asking Jesus for a prophetic word for her grandson.  I was able to pray with her to encourage her to know that destiny and to give her inspiration for the art piece.  These  two separate things confirmed to me, that Jesus was certainly the author of this event. 

As I was saying goodbye to Lynn and thanking her for this event, I was telling her about finding the "art" pictured above.   This paper had been crumbled in my nightstand drawer and I had just found it recently.  This is the first piece of watercolor prophetic art I ever did.  It was this picture that propelled me into doing the workshop that Lynn attended.  I hadn't really thought about how important this paper was.....that is, until tonight.   I think I will frame this and hang it where I can continue to see new and amazing things, through that artwork.  What do you see in this painting? I have a feeling that there are many different things being said in this painting. 

So this is my encouragement to you all.  Pick up some crayons, or colored pencils, or water colors and a piece of paper.   Put on some wonderful praise music.   Don't think or plan.  Just do.  Put that color on the page and let your mind go.  When you have filled up that paper, stop and ask Jesus what he is saying about this work of art.  You will be amazed at the results! 

Jesus, thank you, again for Lynn and this book "Speaking To The Heart".  Jesus, you are speaking to MY heart through this book in really amazing and wonderful ways. Continue to bless everyone who opens this book.  Help us all to be open to creating and expressing all that you are and give to us. Give us all courage to ask you for prophetic words, and inspiration to preserve those words in art.  Amen 

Sisters are different flowers from the same garden.

 

This picture is my sister Julie, sister Karen and me taken in 1985 at the time of my dad's death. Today is all about my sister Karen.  I can't begin to express how much I have realized the loss of my sister Karen in the last several years.  I don't know if it is because of my age (nearing 60) or if it is the loss of my mom also, but over and over I have felt that I would love to talk to Karen!  And the funny thing about that is that we didn't talk all that much.  We didn't see each other very often either.   I talked with Julie, my other sister, yesterday and we had a good chat, just catching up on the family news.  At the end of that conversation, it hit me that I would love to be able to have a conversation like that with Karen.  While I am thankful for Facebook and the ability to stay somewhat in the loop with Karen's kids, it really is not the same.  In thinking back, during my growing up years, Karen seemed much more like an aunt than a sister to me because of our age difference.    When I got married, things changed, I think because I was now relating to Karen "adult to adult".  And then when Gwen was born, it was "mom to mom".  Sadly Karen and I didn't have much time to relate "grandma to grandma" since Lia was only 11 months old when Karen died. 

 

I love this picture of Karen and her friend (sorry, but I don't know her name) and my mom and I.  It was taken in the summer of 1955 before I was a year old.   When I look at this picture of Karen, I think about all the movies and stories I have read about being a teenager in the 1950's.   What a different time it was than the 1970's when I was a teenager.  My mom often said that she raised kids in so many different "generations"  - the 50's and the 60's and the 70's.  What a wide time span and interesting changing lifestyles.  Let's face it, by the time I was in high school, there wasn't a dress code!  Very different than the 50's.  I remember my sister Julie setting her hair in rollers.....EVERY NIGHT... before going to bed.   I had long straight hair all through high school. I didn't own a curling iron until long after I was married.  I think Karen set her hair in pin curls.   Yep, we had very different  experiences growing up.  But we are still sisters. Just as my post title today says.... sister are different flowers from the same garden! 

 

My sister Karen had an amazing singing voice.  I always wished that I could sing like her.   When I realized that Gwen had that same musical, wonderful voice, I was so pleased.   And I believe that Karen and Gwen had a special connection since Karen was Gwen's Godmother.   And this is part of how amazing a spiritual heritage is in a family.  These special gifts that are sown into generations of a family and then "bloom" in future children.  I think of our grandmother, Nora Larson Toensing, who had such an amazing voice that when she sang in church in the summer, people could hear her miles away, as her voice carried on the breezes through the open windows and doors of the church.   Yes, I believe that Jesus has a plan and destiny for our family and this is just one way of seeing the fulfillment of that.  I love that our family "garden" has seeds that have been sown by Jesus and only he knows exactly what that garden in full bloom will look like.  Yes, sisters are different flowers in the same garden, but we share so much that has been lovingly placed in that garden.  We share a destiny and our lives are woven together, connected not only by the past, but by the future.  

 

Jesus,  thank you.  I love that you take moments and memories and help us see beyond our own thoughts and feelings to see from your perspective.   Holy Spirit, thank you for using this blog to help me gain a better understanding of how you work in our families.  Help us all to continue to go deeper into you and to see with your eyes.  Thank you for my family.  Amen