Good morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. It’s one of those quiet rainy days in Virginia – it was too wet for me to spend my time on the front porch, but it’s still PERFECT and full of life from anywhere I sit. I don’t need anything outward to make my time with the Living God richer or more meaningful than it already is, but what I see from where I sit is just the right touch for my time in the Presence of the King of kings. With a hot cup of coffee in hand, the Word of God at my fingertips, and the Touch of the Master’s Hand visible all around me, I felt like the Royalty He says that I am. Never losing sight of the Cross, and all that He’s done for me, keeps Life in Perspective, and it keeps Gratitude flowing from my Heart day in and day out. As surely as He created the heavens and the earth and everything in it, He chose me to be His Child…if THAT doesn’t make you embrace your Royalty, I’m not sure anything will!

Not everybody gets to enter into the presence of a king any time they feel like it, but I’m “Royalty,” so I have access to my King 24/7. Not everybody gets to meet with a king to discuss every single aspect of life and confidently expect Wisdom and Direction for the journey, but I’m the child of my King, so I can get His attention any time I need it. Not everybody can go against the king’s rules and be forgiven over and over again – but there is no limit to the Forgiveness I get from my King because I’m His Child – He “calls me by name” – I belong to Him. Not everybody serves a King that loves them so much that He would be willing to lay his own life down for them, but Mine died a brutal death just so that He could pay the price for my sins and secure a Future for me. My King isn’t just any king. My King is THE King of ALL kings! He’s the Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace, the Bright Morning Star, the Lamb of God, and the One who died for me!

It’s accepting the Price that was paid at the Cross long ago that turns us toward the King in the first place, and yet, it’s the Price that was paid at the Cross that far too many people refuse to Share with another living soul. Instead of sharing the consequences of denying the Truth, they’ll tiptoe around God’s love instead…as if they’re too ashamed to tell the Story of the Price He paid for the world. When Christ “left” us, He sent the Holy Spirit to dwell within us, and it’s the Relationship with have with Him that spurs us to Share with others! The Royal Ones (like me) are proud of their Heritage, and they love to tell the entire Story of the Life of the King. They don’t lose sight of the Saving Grace that led them to the King in the first place, and they have enough Love in their Hearts to Share it every chance they get. They share the Gospel with excitement every time because they love the King, and they leave no stone left unturned when they meet a stranger, because they’re a whole lot more interested in knowing if a stranger knows their King than they are in anything else. How is it possible for a Child of the Living God to NOT share the Message of the Cross?

I’ll be facing this new day filled with “challenges” like the Royalty I am, and I won’t miss an opportunity to share my King with the world today. The condition of the Soul is my biggest priority, and sprinkling it with Love is my calling. If they mock me, it won’t matter. If they persecute me, that won’t matter either! My King said they will hate me because of Him so nothing will come as a surprise to me. I love my King and I’m honored to be part of the Royal family…and there’s no shutting me up about Him! The Holy Spirit dwells within me and He spurs me on toward Good!

How about you?

Good morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. This is a day that the Lord has made, and no matter what it brings…I WILL rejoice and be glad in it! When I met with the Living God this morning, I had difficulty finding my joy! There’s no good reason that I should be lacking joy, but it just wouldn’t come to me “naturally” this morning – since I know the one who comes to “rob, kill, and destroy” would love to disarm me – I DETERMINED to have Joy in my head, even if my Heart wasn’t inclined on its own at first. I “named it and claimed” as my own, and I repeated Words Breathed by the Living God long ago to help me along. I thanked God for my Joy as if it was already a done deal, and I played songs in my head that I can always count on to bring joy to my Heart when I hear them. I FOUGHT FOR MY JOY this morning…and I won! I just needed a little help from my Head to kick my Heart into Joy-mode, and it didn’t take long to feel it from my head to my toes. I won the Battle again this morning. Isn’t that the way you fight through your Journey of Faith too?

It can be so easy for people to believe that the Journey of Faith is an easy one, and they lose out on how to Fight for Faith in the process. Some don’t think that “bad” things should EVER happen to the Good People, and they think People of Faith should be forever tiptoeing through the tulips of life every minute like a Stepford Christian. They question God when things aren’t going their way, and they sometimes blame every U-turn on the enemy. They twist the concept of a Loving God into a belief system that only tolerates good things and full bank accounts, and when things don’t go well in the life of a Christian, the world is ready to mock God because of it. We (Christians) are set aside as God’s Children, but we have many of the same challenges everybody else has…we just KNOW how to fight back and we KNOW we’ll always win when we do. When we lack Joy, we must DETERMINE to have it, and we “take captive every thought” because we understand that the Mind often deters the Heart…IF we let it. How we handle the “joyless” times determines our Witness to the world. We don’t seek Joy because we want to feel “happy” – we seek Joy because having it in the face of Adversity is a huge Witness to the lost world and to the power of my God. After all, who would want my Jesus if I whine and complain about my circumstances, and I walk my Journey with no Joy?

When we’re faced with adversity or dealing with trials, the biggest “focus” should never be on our circumstances – God already has that part covered – it’s how we handle them instead. David was hunted down like an animal even though he was a “man after God’s own heart.” He wasn’t “saved” from the trials; he was equipped with the Answer instead, and over and over and over again, David DETERMINED to find His Joy. Job had his life turned upside down when everything was “taken” from him…including his children, even though he was “the most righteous” man on earth. In his agony, Job cursed the day he was ever born, but he DETERMINED to Trust the Will of God in the process. Job stood as firmly as any broken man can stand, and He held on to the only Hope there is. His faithful friends questioned God when they contemplated how such bad things could ever happen to a “good” person, and they wondered what Job had done to deserve it. Eventually, Job confessed his wrong and prayed for his well-meaning friends, and God restored his life in DOUBLE MEASURE because of it. If “bad” things can happen to the “most righteous man on earth,” then they can happen to you and me too – but when we DETERMINE to Trust Him in the circumstances we’ll ALWAYS be victorious…and we’ll always find our Joy!

I started this new day a little low on joy, but I DETERMINED to find it…and I did! My Heart isn’t the only thing that matters in this Journey – my mind needs a lot of work too! But as long as I am DETERMINED to have ALL that God has Promised to me, and as long as I never lose sight of the Greatest Gift known to mankind, I will ALWAYS find my Joy. I’m an imperfect woman of God living an imperfect life, but I Serve Perfection with everything I’ve got. I focus more on how I handle my Circumstances than the details of the trials, and THAT’S why I’m Victorious every single time. NOW I can be the Good Witness God created me to be! Look out, world!

How about you?

Good morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. I’ve spent a little extra time with the Living God focused on Refreshing my Heart and my Soul, and I’m finally ready to face the day after a little Heavenly pampering. My Heart has been tenderized by the King, and it’s a rare kind of Heart because of it. Though I’m strong and I’m courageous, and I’m the kind of gal you want on your side to fight on your behalf, my Heart is tender and it can easily fracture if I’m not careful. It’s important for my Journey of Faith that I guard my Heart as best I can, so I make sure to go to the Great Physician when it needs a little patching up for the journey. After all, He wrote the Book on the Care and Feeding of a Tender Heart, so when my Heart is hurting, I know where to go for my nourishment.

Strong and courageous people are often seen as the ones who need the LEAST amount of care and feeding, but that’s SO far from the truth. Hearts that have been tenderized by the King have been put through a tremendous amount of adversity to get them in just the right condition to be used for Great things. They’re the bold ones not easily ignored, and they’re the ones you’ll see on the front lines of Battle. They’ll come to your defense in a quick minute, and they’re inclined to guard the underdogs when nobody else will. They’re often seen as the tough and capable ones, but they actually need a little more care and feeding for the Heart than the average person. They’re seen as the “survival type” and although they’ll rarely crumble for others to see, they crumble when nobody’s watching.

The tenderized heart will give and give until there is nothing left to give if they aren’t careful, or if they aren’t stopped by another who understands their Heart and who doesn’t hesitate to protect it. The strong and courageous ones often push beyond where the average person goes, but they dig deep to get there, and they’re fueled by a Heart tenderized by the King. Since it’s the Heart that leads the way for the bold and courageous, it’s the Heart that gets the most wear and tear in the process.

If you’ve been tenderized by the King, you’ll need to be sure that you guard your Heart even if nobody else does. As rare as it is to encounter a tenderized Heart, it’s just as rare to encounter others who see beyond the surface and into the Hearts of these bold ones. It’s that rare kind of Heart that’s the most likely to break when it’s not protected, but it can easily be repaired when we follow the Instruction Manual on the Care and Feeding of a Tender Heart.

If you’ve been blessed with the rare gift of having a tenderized heart in your life, be sure to exercise proper Care and Feeding if you want to benefit from all of those things a tenderized Heart brings to the table. They’ll be your strength and your courage, and they’ll propel you to great things, and if you’re willing to exercise proper Care and Feeding of their tenderized heart, they’ll keep going and giving like the Energizer battery.

I’m bold and courageous, and I’ve been tenderized by the King of all kings! I wouldn’t trade my Hard Lessons for anything in the world because those Lessons made me who I am in Christ today. The Bible says that “All things work together for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose” and I because I LOVE Him and I’ve been “called arrording to His purpose” I’m a good case study for the Care and Feeding of a tender Heart and I wouldn’t have it any other way. The Lord Knew precisely what it would take to transform me into a usable Vessel for Himself, so my primary Goal is to never let Him down. I’ve been strengthened this morning by the One who wrote the Book on the Care and Feeding of a Tender Heart, and now my Heart is overflowing all over again.

How about you?

Good morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. It’s a spectacular new day in Virginia, and my life overflows with blessings. I’m alive and I’m well. I have my health and a sound mind. All is well with my family, and I have the best view on the planet. Despite all the Blessings, my Heart was downcast this morning, so I rolled up my Spiritual sleeves and got to work. It’s not possible to have a downcast Heart without first having a “downcast mind”, so to turn things around in my Heart, I needed to get control of my mind. Like the rudder on a big ship, the mind can turn us in any direction whatsoever (with a little help from the Enemy), BUT the good news is that we’re not powerless when it comes to the mind and the Heart. It’s only when we allow the mind to head in directions it shouldn’t go in that we find ourselves with a downcast Heart badly in need of Restoration. There’s good Reason the Bible tells us to “take captive every thought,” so to get my downcast Heart back where it belongs, I had to evacuate some things from my mind that have absolutely no business being there – And sure enough, once I got control of my thoughts, my Heart followed, and NOW my Heart overflows with Joy and Gratitude, and I’m ready to take on this new day like the Warrior I was born to be. I’m strong. I’m ready. I’m filled with Hope. Isn’t that the way you deal with your heavy Heart, too?

It’s so strange how we perceive people of Faith and how quickly we are inclined to criticise when we see a glimmer of their human frailty, like mine this morning. A few tears or a downcast Heart, and we’re ready to pass judgment and take them to the Spiritual woodshed. But everybody on the planet has had to struggle with feelings of discouragement at some point or another, and it doesn’t make one less of a Christian to confess it. David, “a man after God’s own heart,” was overwhelmed and downcast more often than I can count. He cried out to God with everything within him as He shared His heart in real ways…human ways…But he didn’t stay there long, and you and I don’t have to stay there long either. There once was a man named Job, and God referred to him as the “most righteous man” on earth at the time. When Job went through “hell on earth,” his shortcomings were made clear straight from the mouth of a Mighty God. God told Job to “brace yourself like a man” right before he highlighted where Job had gone wrong. Poor Job was so overcome with grief and shame that he cursed the day he was ever born! There are countless other people of Faith we read about in the Bible who were far from perfect, too. But the people who Knew where to turn for help with their downcast Heart were restored each and every time…and so am I.

When we cry out to God with a downcast Heart, He has compassion on us, and when we turn to Him for Heart Therapy, He delivers it every time. The world around us might expect to see “perfection” because we are people of Faith, but God knows better, and He’s there to help us through all of our trials IF we just reach out to Him and confess our weakness before His Throne. It’s a good thing that He’s our judge, and not all of those people around us who look for “Stepford Christians” and who are always so ready to pounce and to judge us over our weaknesses, especially other people of Faith. But being Christian doesn’t mean that all of our troubles miraculously disappear…it means that we just know where to go for our Help and our Hope. Being Christian doesn’t mean that we’re never weak….it means that we know where to go for our Strength. Being Christian doesn’t mean that we don’t stumble and fall…it means that we know where to go to get picked back up again….the source of our Straight Path. Humility isn’t a sign of weakness…it’s a sign of Strength, and honesty always leads to stronger relationships…especially when it comes to the Living God.

I may have begun this day with a downcast Heart, but it’s an entirely different story now after I confessed it to my God, I took captive every thought, and I turned to the Living God for some much-needed Heart Therapy. Now I’m Strong. I’m Ready. I’m Teachable. I’m Unstoppable. I’m Unbreakable. I Know where to find Truth, and I know the tactics of the Deceiver and his strategy to defeat me failed once again.

What about you?

Good morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. My time on the front porch with the Living God at sunrise was as perfect as this new day. It was clear, calm, and graced with the sounds of music that came from all different kinds of birds from every direction. Those birds made me think of what Heaven will be like when all the “different kinds of birds” sing Praises to the King at the same time! Wow – just imagining the Heavenly choir is so beautiful that it makes me cry. Even though what I imagine Heaven to be like brings me to tears, my imagination can’t hold a candle to what’s in store for me One Day. God says, “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived the things God has prepared for those who love him,” and THAT’S what makes me want everybody to have what I have, to Hear what I hear, and to Know what I know. Isn’t that what your Journey of Faith is like too?

I’m not sure why some people have a Passion to Share Good things with the rest of the world, while some want to hoard all the Good for themselves. It’s a mystery to me. The same “hoarders” that don’t hesitate to show off a new house, or a new car, or to brag about an exotic vacation or an accomplished kid, never even consider “showing off” the Greatest Gift of all. The Treasures of Heaven will make the treasures on earth look like Romper Room one day – but still, SO MANY of the “ones who love Him” never utter a word to the lost about the Greatest Gift of all. It’s hard to watch “the ones who love Him” so easily storing up their own treasures on earth, and yet, they’re blinded to the lost ones destined to lose out on “what no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived the things God has prepared for those who love him.” Could it be that arrogance leads them to believe that the lost ones need to either “sink or swim” all on their own? Or maybe they don’t want to “offend” them by talking about such things, BUT from where I sit, Hell is pretty offensive and it will be that way for Eternity.

Perhaps it takes an added measure of Gratitude for the Promise of Heaven one day to Inspire us to share the Good News. Or maybe it takes Genuine Excitement for what is in store “for those who love Him”. Or it just might take understanding what Hell will be like for the lost. I can do my best to describe Heaven from just a few things I know based upon the Description in His Word…and my Passion is usually enough to make a lost person at least a little curious about what I have. But if there is anything I wish I could SHOW a lost person, it would be a video of what Hell is like. For as much as we can’t begin to imagine Heaven, we can’t begin to imagine Hell either. Hell is a place of torment and “gnashing of teeth” like none of us can begin to imagine…and the torment will go on for eternity. There isn’t a “bad” person that I’d ever wish Hell upon, and there isn’t a “bad” person that I want to leave behind if I can help it. That’s what the Compassion of Christ looks like and THAT’S why I do what I do.

It was heavenly at sunrise, that’s for sure, and I savored the Glory of my God while I basked in the beauty of this old farm. The Beauty I see defies words! But more than anything else on this beautiful new day, I did my best to imagine what Heaven will be like, and what I imagined made me WEEP WITH JOY. I won’t be keeping to myself what I know about Heaven for those who believe, and I’ll never hoard the Truth from the lost world. I don’t deserve the Greatest Gift…none of us do. I didn’t do anything to earn it – It’s Free, it’s PRICELESS, it’s ETERNAL, and IT’S MINE, and THAT’S why I want EVERY lost person to Know what I know so that they can look forward to Heaven with excitement too!

“What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived the things God has prepared for those who love him.”

How about you?