Performance Painting

Hey, if you want a moment to worship then go to this link and sit back and enjoy being in the Lord's presence! I loved being in His presence as I painted! Have an awesome day!

HERE'S THE LINK:

http://vimeo.com/1797430

Disappointment is not Devastation

When your eyes are set fully on the hope of Christ, disappointment does not bring forth devastation. It is only when you have set your hopes in something OTHER than Christ that disappointment can turn to devastation.
For example, let's say you have an amazing idea that you want to pitch to someone. You're sure the Lord is behind it, you have clarity and enthusiasm! You pitch your idea and the idea is met with a door slammed in your face.
Now comes the moment of truth! You come home completely disappointed, yet, you still believe in the call you heard The Lord give you. The closed door does not steal your belief in moving forward with your idea, it only alters the direction. You find you are not devastated. That's because your hope is set fully in Christ...not in the idea or in the person slamming the door. You continue to move forward seeking the face of God and the new opportunity He is bound to place before you! You continue on in faith...believing in what you can't see!

Keep marching, Sweet Warrior! Never give up what God has placed within!

My Fathers Voice

I reached for my Daily Bible this morning and said to the Lord, "I want to hear from you today, Lord. I need to hear you!!! I long to hear you!!!!!"

I opened to today's date to see what The Lord wanted to share!

As the pages fell open, right smack in the middle of today's reading was a sticky note from my Dad! It said, "God loves you and so do Mom and me! Love, Dad"

The note was dated a year ago. He snuck it into my Bible reading knowing that I would find it a year later.

"Thank you Lord, for the gift of hearing my earthly fathers voice! He allowed me to hear YOUR voice! YOU love me and so does my Dad!"

*Note to any reader of this blog: my Dad lives thousands of miles away which made it even sweeter to find his note this morning!

Immediate Answer!

I was reading the story of Elijah and Ahab today and I noticed something I had never thought about. It was the part where Elijah challenges Ahab's prophets to a duel: 400 prophets danced for fire to rain down on their sacrifice all day verses 1 man of God (Elijah) calling upon the Lord for fire to burn the sacrifice. Something struck me as Elijah prayed to God. God immediately answered Elijah's prayer! God burned up the sacrifice plus the wood plus the water that had been poured upon the whole thing. God exceedingly abundantly answered Elijah's prayer IMMEDIATELY when he asked! If you keep reading that passage, you'll see the very next thing Elijah does is to pray for rain! Due to the overwhelming response of God Elijah had just experienced, I would expect that praying for rain would be just as easy, if not easier, than praying for fire to fall from the sky. That's not the case. Scripture says that Elijah prayed for a while. He sent his servant to look for a rain cloud 7 times! This time Elijah's prayer was not answered immediately! It was the same Elijah praying and the same God he prayed to, yet, God chose not to answer immediately!
Has that ever happened to you? One day you see God move in amazing ways as he answers your prayers and other days you're left waiting wondering if He hears you at all. This is the very place where I have been struggling. This passage reminds me to praise the Lord when He answers my prayers immediately and to remain faithful when my prayers seem to go unanswered.
Think of one of your prayers which seems to have gone unanswered but you're still praying anyway. Remind yourself that the servant was asked to look in the distance for any sign of rain. Seven times he did not see anything, BUT Elijah kept on praying in faith! So keep praying you never know when God will bring your answer to the horizon, "even if it looks as small as a mans hand!" Get up and rejoice! Showers of blessing are just ahead!

His Pasture!

"Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his;
We are his people, the sheep of his pasture." Psalm 100:3

Think on this!!! We are the sheep of HIS pasture!!!!! We are in God's pasture!!! We are not in the pasture of the enemy!!!! We are in HIS pasture!!!!! There are fences around it...boundaries around it...HE rules it....HE has authority over it and HE is the gate keeper!!!!! Let's dance in HIS pasture today!!!! There is no fear in this pasture!!!!! Love abounds here instead!!!!

Anyone want to roll down the hill with me into the meadow next to the quiet waters?

Here's a thought to meditate on!

It is out of the relationship with Jesus that everything else flows!

I have recently been reminded of this as I have had to look at the pride that was causing my heart to be hardened! My heart was hardened to the relational aspect of living life with Jesus moment to moment!

That's all...just something to ponder!!! Is your relationship with Jesus intimate and tender?

Dwelling Meets Dwelling

I was thinking about the Old Testament and how God resided in His Holy Dwelling-the Temple. It was the place where God chose to settle among His people. Especially if you look at the life of Moses or David or Solomon. Consistently God's presence settled in the Holy of Holies.

I then started thinking about the New Testament and how WE, people who have accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, are also a temple where the Lord Himself has chosen to settle and reside. We are His dwelling place!

Finally, I started thinking about the Church! The church should be a place where Dwelling meets Dwelling!!! The church should be the place where God meets people and people experience God! It should be a place where lives are supernaturally impacted by being in the presence of a living God!

It makes me wonder that if supernatural transformation is not happening within your church then is your church a place that allows the Lord to fully reside in it's dwelling? If not, I would strongly urge you to begin asking the Lord if there is any sin residing within the walls of the church that has chased away the settling of His presence!

It's time to wake up and start cleaning up our personal "Temples" as well as our corporate "Temples"! I truly believe that God desires to have the church be a place where Dwelling can meet Dwelling!!!

The Dry Erase Board

Here is a question to ask the Lord:

"Lord, what do YOU want me to do with my life? What will bless YOU?"

Next, WAIT for HIS response! It may come in the form of a still small quiet voice, or perhaps an opportunity will arise that you could never have thought up for yourself!

Think of a dry erase board. Up on that board are things you've drawn up that you have wanted to do! Things you've longed to do! Things you are gifted in doing!

Erase that board.

Step back.

Put down the marker.

And ask:

"Lord, what do YOU want me to do with my life? What will bless YOU?"

He's getting ready to draw HIS picture for your life right now! It may look exactly like what you had already drawn! OR it may look completely different but still have the essence of what you had on that board!


Either way...now you can live a life that blesses HIM! You are free to live a life of WORSHIP!!!!

This one is for all the Mom's out there!

While making dinner tonight, my thirteen year old daughter was sitting nearby doing her homework. I felt led to keep myself in the kitchen where she could hear me and see me (although I had many other things to do in other rooms). While busying my hands with mundane tasks, I was talking with the Lord in my head. I was asking Him things like, "Does it really matter that I am in the same room with her?" "Should I be having a deep discussion with her?" "Is there something that I need to DO?"

My mind then went to the times when I am quiet in the Lord's presence. Those times when I make myself still and just sit in His presence! I LOVE those times. No words or worries are exchanged. It's just wonderful to imagine HIM near me! I savor those times! Much like the times I loved to be in the college library studying with my then boyfriend (now husband). We didn't talk at all. It was just wonderful to know that he was near.

The Lord interrupted my thoughts and I sensed that He was saying, "I value and appreciate what you DO! This being in the same room with your daughter IS valuable to me! It is of great worth!"

I then thought of the little daily tasks that I do every day that no one notices or mentions. I sensed that The King of Kings was saying, "I value and appreciate those things as well! They do not go unnoticed to ME!"

I then thought back to a time when I was a young girl. No one had cleaned a pot of corn that had been on the stove. I kept noticing that pot of corn! No one else did! Finally I threw a teen tantrum and cleaned it! Anger flew out of my mouth as my hands worked the task! As I replayed the scene in my head, I heard in my Spirit, "I valued and appreciated you cleaning that pot of corn!"

Tomorrow is Valentines Day! I just want those moms out there to know that your Abba, Father values and appreciates all that you do!!! HE sees it all!! Nothing goes unnoticed!!!

There is this little line in Genesis 16 that states, "You are the God who sees me!"

I think HE wants you to know that:
HE sees YOU!!! HE values YOU!!!! HE appreciates YOU!!! And all those things you DO!

Finding God

As a kid I found God in nature all the time! I loved to look up to the sky and talk to God! I would enjoy the feel of mudpies between my fingers and my thoughts would be so focused on the sensory delights! I would swing and let the breeze blow against my cheeks as I tried my best to pump my swing over the top of the swing set! Sticks and rocks and pinecones were the best playmates! I would lay still in the grass beneath towering trees and watch them move back and forth in the wind. I would decide what object the clouds looked like and then I would flip myself over and look at the flickering shade created by the sun and trees that were raining down on my back.
Most of my summer days were spent in exploration and discovery of all God created and it was just out the back door!

"Thank you God for where you allowed me to grow up! That place shaped me into who I am today! AND you were there! Even when I didn't know your son! YOU were there and I was searching for you!"

Where did you look for God as a kid? Where are you looking for Him now?
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