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The Fall Season

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Good morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. For the first time in a long time I met with the Living God wrapped up in a blanket that warmed my body while He warmed my soul. I had to hold on tight to the pages of my Instruction Manual so the winds didn’t carry it away while I filled my Heart up with His Words and Wisdom. The Fall is my favorite season of the year because it reminds me of the way life is. It’s rich with color, and it’s a little unpredictable as the fierce winds come and go, and the temperatures sway back and forth until its finally cold for good. I’m in the final season of my life but I’m living like it’s the Fall. My Life is full of color, and it always will be because I Serve the One who paints the rainbows in the sky. As long as He’s my First Priority and I stay Wrapped up in Him, the Journey will be even more beautiful than the Fall until I go “cold” for good. Isn’t that the way you look at your life too?

It can be so easy for us to convince ourselves that we’re “too old” for just about anything in life, but we lose our Joy and squander our Purpose when we do. We don’t get old and quit…we quit and get old instead, and it amazes me how so many people quit living long before the body does. God never quits, and our Purpose never ends until life goes “cold” and we’re called Home for good. In time, it gets easier and easier for us to turn to someone else…someone younger…to do the Heavy Lifting for God. Each time we sit back to let someone else Serve Him instead, we lose a little more of the Joy that He intends for us to have and we draw a line in the sand for our Purpose. Even though God provides everything we need to do the Job He Calls us to do, we’ll claim we aren’t equipped anymore, and we’ll pass the buck to someone else…even though God spoke the need to us. If we pass the buck long enough, He’ll no longer call upon us to Serve at all. I can’t think of a sadder way to spend the final Season of Life than to be doing as little as I possibly can for Him because I’ve deemed myself “too old” or “too tired” to Serve the King of Kings.

When are we too old to share compassion? When are we too old to write a note of encouragement? When are we too old to pick up the phone to check on a friend in need? When are we too old to share food or water? When are we too old to visit a sick friend or to visit a prison to spread love? When are we too old to share the wisdom that comes with age? When are we too old to teach the younger ones? When you consider how most of us quit when we’re old…it shouldn’t come as a much of a surprise when the next generation “quits” on us too. As long as there is breath coming to and from our lungs, it’s a perfect day to do Good…a day to Serve the One that still has us here as part of His Plan…a Day to share the Truth to a lost world. God called people into Service for Him a long time ago that were in the “final” season of Life. They had proven their love for Him by Declaring His name everywhere they went. When they went through the Fire they held His Hand. When they were lost, they turned to Him to Lead them. When they were tired, He gave them Rest. They didn’t have the young body they used to have, but they had a Spirit to Serve and the Wisdom of years, and because of that He used them until the day He called they went cold…and He will you and me. We don’t get old and quit…we quit and get old.

I’m in the final season and I’m having the Time of my Life. I’m pouring out the Wisdom that I gained through the Fire and I’m doing what I can to “go forth” to share the Truth with a lost world. I’ll keep Serving the King until He calls me Home, so no matter when that is…today or decades from now… the world will have no doubt that my Job on earth was completed and that His timing is Perfect. I hope they’ll celebrate my passing onto my New Home, and I hope nobody cries about the “unfairness” of my death, because I’ll be Home where I’ll be celebrating for all of Eternity with the One I Served with everything within me. I haven’t gotten old and I WILL NOT quit.

How about you?

Focus on the Inside….

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Image may contain: sky, tree, cloud, twilight, outdoor and natureGood morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. It’s cold and it’s windy outside, and I was moving in slow speed this morning because of it. All it took was a hot cup of coffee and Warm Time with the Living God and the cold and wind took a backseat to the Inspiration He had for me. I need to be fed and nourished by the Living God more than I need food, or water, or air so I look for my Nourishment every day even if I feel like I have to crawl there to get it. Not a whole lot about what goes on “outside” really matters at all, as long as I’m Ready for whatever it is on the Inside, I’ll never be Discouraged or Defeated. Isn’t that the way you look at life on the outside too?

I’m not one to get too worked up about what goes on in life “outside” and I’m often accused of not caring because of it. But there’s no reason to get too worked up when you know that God holds the world in the Palm of His Hand and that nothing takes Him by surprise. He’s done a really good job Managing people, places and things since the beginning of all Time; so, although I have opinions and feelings about what I see “outside”; He’s definitely up for the Job of running things for me and everybody else on the planet. I get more worked-up about what I see on the inside of people than I ever will by what I see on the “outside” and it causes me pain to see their pain. I get worked up over people hurting their own children and it causes me pain to consider how they got so heartless. I get worked up over people killing a child in the womb and it causes me pain to consider how they got so selfish. I get worked up over people in poverty living on a cold park bench in the middle of winter or going hungry they way they do and it causes me pain to wonder how they got so overlooked. I get worked up over people being unkind to other people and it causes me pain when I consider how they got so entitled. I get worked up over all the lost people that need to know my God and it pains me to see so few willing to Share.
Most of the time the things I get worked up over all come down to the lack of Compassion, and it pains me to see a world not ready, willing or able to extend it….especially those who Believe.

I have a heart that can be hurt with just one wrong beat because my Heart is Open for the world to see. I don’t do the Deciding on who should get a piece of my Heart; God does that for me when He brings people into my Life for His Purpose. I have a Heart that hurts deeply over what I see on the inside of other people; and its that kind of hurt that fuels Compassion. Christ-like compassion isn’t just feeling sorry for the ones that hurt…it’s feeling PAIN over the ones that hurt…just the way Jesus did. I hurt for hurting people, angry people, broken people, hardened people, crazy people, criminal people and everything else in between. I hurt for some of my friends that are sitting on the sidelines of their Faith and I hurt for all my enemies. But I’ll never hurt for anything as much as I hurt for lost people…people that haven’t heard the Truth and people who have never been loved enough by one of us to be told about Him. That’s the biggest kind of Hurt of all. I can do my part to provide food or shelter or a pair of warm boots, but the greatest thing I can give to a person in need is Jesus Christ. Now THAT I get REALLY worked up over and THAT is what I focus on the most.

I’m not letting what’s going on outside to get my attention away from what goes on inside no matter how troubling it appears to be. I know how my enemy works and he would do a happy dance if I started focusing on the outside and stopped focusing on the inside. In the meantime, I’ll speak up, show up, and pray up over lots of those outside things. But you’ll find me sharing the Nourishment that I fill myself up with every day…the kind of Nourishment that is more important than food, water or air. The kind of Nourishment that has the Power to Heal every Heart and that will find a way feed and clothe the hurting world…IF I focus on the inside instead of the outside, that is. I’m loving Big…and the only thing I’ll get worked up over comes down to the only thing I’m SUPPOSED to be worked up over ever…the lost ones..

How about you?

The Sound of Silence…

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Image may contain: sky, twilight, tree, cloud, outdoor and natureGood morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. I met with the Master of the Mornings and I gave this new day to Him before He shed light on the farm. I opened up the Words He breathed so long ago and I found comfort and wisdom that He knew I was in need of this morning. It probably seems odd to some people that you can build a Relationship with God in silence, but that’s only because they don’t know what it feels like to hear with your Heart and Soul. The quieter it is around me, the louder the Message from Him, and I’ll hear His voice in my Heart forever. So, this is the time to sit back in silence and listen to every Word I Hear without question. Some of the sweetest things in Life come through the silence and some of the best Replays are heard in the Heart.

It can be so easy to be overwhelmed with sadness when we’re missing someone we love whether they’ve already gone Home or they’re just not nearby. But one of the most amazing gifts that God gives to mankind is the ability to Replay our time with them whenever we want to. When I can move past feeling sorry for myself because a loved one is no longer with me and I push past the desperation to be in their presence; I can pause and listen to their voice and I can hear their laughter all over again…and it’s just as sweet as it was when they were in the same room with me. Memories are a precious Gift from the Lord and I think He must have wired us to Replay so that we can be comforted until we meet again One Day. Sometimes I Replay laughter because laughter is the sweetest sound to me. Sometimes I Replay the sound of a voice and it’s usually filled with words that brought me comfort or made me laugh one time. Sometimes I Replay a face with a smile just because I need to see it. I can’t change the Course of God’s Plans and there’s nothing I can do to “bring them back”, but the memories sustain me and I give thanks to the God that Designed the Replay button in the Heart every time I “see and hear” the ones I love in the silence.

Loss is unbearable unless we use the silence for our Comfort and it’s incomprehensible unless we Cling to what is Gained when we “lose”. When we “lose” a loved one to death we haven’t really “lost” them at all if they were Destined to be with God. When that’s the case, they Win Big Time and we are left in the silence. Sometimes when I push the Replay button and I share a memory of a loved one I’ll hear “don’t you wish they were still here?”…and the answer is always “NO!”. I would never wish someone away from the Glory they know when they go Home just for my own satisfaction. The ones I’ve “lost” to death are having the time of their Life…they’re in Perfect Condition…in Perfect Hands..and they are Filled with Joy and Peace. One Day we’ll have the most amazing Reunion…until then I push the Replay button and I keep them with me whenever I’m missing them and I need to see their face or hear their voice and my heart overflows with love every single time. Thank you, God for the Precious Gift of that Replay button that keeps me from feeling so lost.

I’m feeling a little lonely for my loved ones this morning. Some I won’t see until we have our Family Reunion, and some I’ll be seeing very soon for the holidays. Until then you’ll find me sitting in silence every once in a while pushing that Replay button to comfort my heart and to make me smile. As surely as I can Hear the Voice of God in my Heart, I can hear the ones I’m lonely for too. What an amazing God I serve that thinks of everything I need…especially that Replay button on a lonely day.

I’ve Learned to be Content….

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Image may contain: cloud, sky, tree, outdoor and natureGood morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. I sat at my kitchen table to spend my Time with the One Who “placed all the stars in the sky and knows them each by name” and the view from here matches what my heart feels this morning…it’s Content. That may not seem like much, but Contentment isn’t an easy place to find and Contentment is a blessing. Contentment is something that most people never find because Contentment always comes down to Surrender and Trust. When we can Surrender whatever the day brings and Trust Him with our Lives…we find our way to Contentment and the Heart feels like the sky from my kitchen window looks. Isn’t that the way you find Contentment too?

It can be so easy for people to think that for a Child of the Living God to be content it means that we accept where we are in life and that we give up on ever being someplace else. But that’s not it at all. Contentment doesn’t mean that we give up or that we quit hoping or trying because we’re satisfied with things being just the way they are. Contentment means that we’re at PEACE with where we are and we Trust the Living God to Lead us and to Grow us…and to NEVER forsake us… no matter what. There’s a big difference between being a Content Child of the Living God and a spiritual slug. The Content ones keep moving, keep praying, keep believing, keep hoping and are ALWAYS striving for Better…and they Serve the King with Joy through it all. Spiritual slugs have taken “let go and let God” to an entirely different level. They not only expect Him do the Heavy Lifting while they creep along through life; they quit Serving and Believing and they can’t find their Contentment in Who they are in Christ because of it. They claim to have a Heart for the King, but they have no desire to Serve Him because of where they are. They have no Peace. They have no Contentment…and in some ways they have no Hope. It’s a very sad thing to watch people refuse to do anything for the One Who gave them life…UNTIL He fixes whatever it is that they want Him to fix first. Because they don’t know what Contentment is, they’ll spend however long they spend daring God to do whatever it is that they want God to do to make life better FIRST, and THEN they’ll consider doing what He wants them to do. It’s sad but true.

Everybody has challenges. Everybody has heartbreak. Everybody has baggage. Everybody gets scared sometimes. Everybody wonders what tomorrow will bring. Everybody longs for more. But not everybody Knows the way to Contentment through it all. It’s only when we grasp that we “live in the moment” but He Lives through Eternity that we find Contentment and Peace. Only God knows “the rest of the story” and only He can Determine the Outcome. But as long as we withhold our Praise and our Thanks and our Trust because of our circumstances and we refuse to Serve Him until He gets our life in order otherwise; we lose our Contentment and Peace and WE make it impossible for Him to move us past the Mountain. Contentment comes to those who Trust Him with the reigns and who BELIEVE that He has a Perfect Plan for their lives. The Content Ones are NEVER “settling for less” or giving up striving for more….the Content Ones just know who’s really in Control and they Trust Him.

There are plenty of things in my life that I’d change if I had the power in my own hands to change them, But I KNOW that God knows my Heart and He’s aware of each one of them. There isn’t a doubt in my mind that He has a Plan much better than anything I could come up with on my own. In the meantime, I’m dreaming…I’m hoping…I’m loving…I’m trusting…I’m Serving my King with Joy and I’m at Peace in the storm. I’m Content.

How about you?

Mother’s Day Message…

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Good morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. I was up and waiting for the sunrise this morning and I had the most precious time with the Living God in the quietness of my kitchen with a hot cup of coffee and a willing spirit. I may be a bold warrior in this crazy world of ours, but my heart has been tenderized by the King, and if I’m not careful; I can find my way to discouragement when I get hurt. So, into the presence of my Mighty God I go, and I pour my heart out to the One who loves me the most and before you know it; those things I was hurting over seem so insignificant. He’s my Father and I’m His child and there’s nothing about my life that He doesn’t care about, so I give it all to Him over and over and over again. Isn’t that what you do too with your struggles too?

Mother’s Day is approaching and as I looked across the front porch this morning, these four rocking chairs all lined up reminded me of my four amazing children. Each one uniquely different and each one with personality of their own. None of them within perfect alignment with the others, and none of them concerned about being in precisely the same place where the others are in life. They “rock” in their own direction and at their own pace, but they never rock too far away from the farm or away from each other. When they’re seated in the rockers on this old porch there is laughter and love and an endless supply of memories to share. And when one of the rockers is empty; the other ones feel the void. They are strong enough to bear the burdens of this life and yet they are gentle enough to rock a baby to sleep. They’ve endured the wind and the rains of life together, and although every once in a while a strong wind will scatter one in the opposite direction the others stay right where they are, and before you know it; the one scattered finds it way back to the line up. My heart was filled with love and gratitude this morning as I considered my “rockers” and all of those answered prayers for them over the years, AND for a family filled with so much love; it’s almost tangible.

There’s no doubt that I’ll hear words of love and appreciation on Mother’s Day, but every day feels like Mother’s Day to me. If there are any “thanks” to be dished out, it’s ME who should be doing the thanking. Thanks to a Mighty God who honored the prayers of this Mom over and over and over again. Thanks to a God who chose me to be the vessel to bring these four amazing creatures into the world, and Who trusted me to bring them up in His ways and not my own. Thanks to a God who gave me wisdom abundantly any time I asked for it, and One who gave me strength when I was tired and weary from the journey. Thanks to a compassionate God who was the “Father to the fatherless” and Who lead this family every step of the way. Thanks to a God who has kept them healthy and safe day after day, and for a God who planted the Seed of Faith in each one of them. Thanks to a God who taught me to die to myself and One who used the opportunity to soften my heart through my children so that I would be softened for the King. Being a Mom has been, and will forever be, the greatest and the most significant thing I’ve ever done and the source of so many spiritual lessons for me. The fruit of my labor overwhelms me and I know that the legacy of love, of laughter and of Faith will go on from generation to generation. I’ll never know on this side of Heaven just how far reaching that legacy will be, but thinking about it makes me smile. So on Mother’s Day…it’s ME who gives thanks for it all. For my four beautiful “rockers” and for the God of it all.

My kids may be grown, but my role as “Mom” won’t end until I take my last breath. I’ll be around whenever they need me and I’ll still savor every single moment I have. I’ll long for the days for these rockers to be filled back up, and I’ll wait patiently in between those times. Mostly I’ll be praying without ceasing just like I have since the day they were born, and I’ll be sharing a legacy of love, laughter and Faith while I plant a few seeds in the next generation too.

Happy Mother’s Day to me and to you!

Love is Kind

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Good morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. It might be a little chilly in the mornings still, but I watched the Master wake up the world from outside on the front porch anyway and it didn’t take long for me to forget the outside temperature. He spoke to my heart with His Word, and He comforted me with His Presence, and His Kindness overwhelmed every part of me. Over and over again the message of Kindness was driven into my heart because that’s what He had for me on this new day. To be One of His Children means to strive to take-on His Nature, so when it comes to things like Kindness; it’s big deal. There’s no doubt that when the Living God sends a strong Message to me, then it has a Big Purpose FOR me too…and not just for every other Suffering Soul that comes to my mind. Isn’t that the way you look at the Lessons too?

It can be so easy to turn to someone else’s Life and to look for ways that a Strong Message would be a good idea for them, while we ignore the Warning Light for ourselves. But if we’re serious about taking on His Nature in every way we possibly can, then it’s not everybody else that we need to be worried about…it’s us. I’ll never fully master the Nature of my God…that’s not even a possibility…but it won’t be for lack of trying everyday to be the kind of woman He Created me to be. Things like Kindness seem to be a “no-brainer” when we first consider our own nature, but things like Kindness are put through the Real Test when other people aren’t being kind to us. When we encounter rude people, or when we deal with “incompetency” and we believe that we “deserve” better treatment; do we reflect Kindness to the other? When people are rude to us whether we know them or not, do we return the rude OR do we Reflect Kindness in the face of the rude? When we’re lied to, or when we’re cheated; do we Reflect Kindness in the face of the one doing the wrong? When politics are at stake, and we’re faced with other people working so hard to do harm to ones we support; do we Reflect Kindness to the “other side”? When we’re ridiculed for our Faith, or we’re expected to sit down and shut up about the Living God; do we reflect Kindness to the ones doing the attacking that most likely don’t even know Who He is? Reflecting Kindness is easy when we’re in a kind environment…almost anybody can pull that off. But it’s when we’re mistreated, and insulted, and lied to, and cheated that our Kindness is MOST needed in a dark world…and THAT’S when the Light of our Faith Shines for all the world to see…extending Kindness to others who we believe “don’t deserve it”. After all, isn’t that what Kindness looks and feels like from the Throne of a Mighty God? He’s Kind to us, even when we don’t deserve it.

I’ve been accused of being a “door mat” more times than I can count….but there’s nothing weak or volatile about me at all. I can debate with the best of them, and I can hold my own in any situation. But Life isn’t about “being right” or getting the treatment we THINK we deserve…it’s about how we handle Life when it’s not so easy to handle that really matters in the Big Picture. I know the importance of my Witness in a dark world, and I can always find Kindness for others who aren’t so kind to me IF I remember the High Stakes involved. When I hold onto the fact that it’s the way I treat the other person, or the way I handle a bad situation, that can have an Everlasting Impact on the one I’m dealing with; I find the Kindness and all those other Characteristics of the Living God at my fingertips to tap if I’m willing and IF I never quit striving to have the Right Heart for Him. There’s no situation on the planet that can’t be diffused with Kindness…but it takes dying to your own agenda and being willing to Shine for His that makes the Biggest Difference of all. I have softened the hardest of hearts just by the way I’ve handled a conflict or a wrong because my Kindness was unmistakable in the midst of very difficult circumstances. That kind of Kindness is ONLY possible when we take on the Nature of a Kind and Loving God. I’ll be extending Kindness today no matter how I’m wronged, and no matter who does the wrong to me, and the Light of my Faith will Shine for ALL the world to see…if I Remember Him and I don’t lose sight of my Purpose, that is.

How about you?

Do You See God In EVERYTHING?

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Good morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. Spring is taking its time getting here, and the mornings aren’t quite warm enough to enjoy outside yet, so my Quality Time with the One who “scattered the stars in the sky and knows them each by name” was spent inside with a hot cup of coffee. I may not linger on the porch until it’s comfortably warm out there, but I step outside at daybreak just to greet the new day no matter what. I want to see what God is up to on each new day, and I want to see what’s changed since yesterday. This oak tree sprouted its buds since yesterday morning and my heart swelled up as I considered the leaves that will soon be rustling for me to hear. Watching the Spring unfold isn’t “like” witnessing a miracle; it IS a miracle and one that I’ll never grow tire of, and I’ll never take for granted. Isn’t that the way you look at nature too?

It can be so easy to only focus on the big things in life and to miss all of those little things if we’re not careful. Like a child looking for entertainment, sometimes we only notice the BIG things because it takes a whole lot to hold our attention in a busy world. But it’s those “little” things where the biggest Miracles are found, and it’s in those “little” things that the Touch of the Master’s Hand can been seen anytime you look for it. Sometimes I think people fail to have that Intimate Relationship with the Living God because they don’t see His Hand in every single little thing around them. To them He’s the “Big Guy” in the sky and they expect Big Things from Him because of it, and unless they see a disease healed or the sea parted; they get a little bored with all the He is on an “average” day…but not me. I see His Hand in every direction I look in, and I give Him Glory for it all. From a budding tree, to birds fighting over their food, to a raindrop that lingers on the leaf of a plant before it drops to the ground. Sometimes people comment on how “easy it is” for me to appreciate the world because of my view from the front porch, as if that’s the ONLY reason I see the Touch of the Master’s Hand with 20/20 vision. But if anybody has ever spent time with me off of this magnificent farm, they’ll tell you that I can find the beauty in anything, and I can see the Hand of God in an asphalt parking lot…as long as I’m looking for Him.

It makes me sad to hear people say that they’ve never been eye-witness to a Miracle, because I know it isn’t the Miracle that is lacking; but the Relationship with Him instead. Maybe they give credit to God for some things, and then credit to “Mother Nature” or “the universe” for the rest, as if there are different kinds of provisions that come from different sources. But it’s when we KNOW that He’s the source of all Life, and we KNOW that He cares about every seed, and every bird and everything in between, that we embrace His Majesty and we give Him Glory for every tiny little piece of life. Some people “worship” nature, and some people “worship” the animals; but I Worship the One that holds it ALL in the “palm of His Hand”, and I know that He gives me “dominion over” these things. Bees exist to pollinate and snakes exist for rodent control, and I don’t much like either one of them…and I do my part to keep them away from my space every chance I get. But I never forget the One who made them and I never stop marveling over the Work of His Hand.

Like Adam and Eve before me, I walk through the beautiful Garden of life, and I commune with the Living God every day, in every way, giving thanks for every tiny little piece of it. But I’m not the same as the trees or the animals or the bugs. I’m a Child of the Living God, and in His eyes; nothing else compares to human life, with a human mind, and a free will, and a soul that has an eternal Destiny. I’ll be a good steward of all that He entrusts me with today, and I’ll be giving Glory to Him for the miracle of it all. But my Main Focus will be on the Biggest Miracle the world has ever known, and I’ll do my Part to share the Story of Hope in every single tiny piece of my day today.

How about you?

Beware of the Weeds!

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Good morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. It’s sunny, and things are beginning to green, and before you know it; the trees and everything around this farm will come to life. As I sat before the Throne of a Mighty God this morning, He used the fields around this old farm to remind me that you “reap what you sow” in Life; especially when it comes to the Heart. There are lots of things that go into the making of a green field that will be rich for harvest one day soon, and there’s a whole lot that has to go into me too if I want to be Rich for Harvest and a Vessel that can be of Benefit to my God too. It’s understanding what it takes to grow the Good Fruit that makes all the difference in the End Result. Isn’t that the way you look at your Life too?

Plenty of trees around the farm will soon bud out, and lots of them weren’t planted here by man at all. Nature did the planting, and God did the Nurturing, and somehow without any help from me; they thrive year after year. There is plenty of green in the fields around the farm too, and when it’s left to grow; it will soon get harvested for the cows. But farmers don’t just cut down long grass and weeds to feed to their herds…at least the good ones don’t. They do their part to nourish the soil too so that what grows in the fields is rich, and abundant and healthy for the herd. God makes sure to water the fields, and He brings forth the sun to help it grow. But without a little effort on the part of the farmer, what would be produced out of the field would be of little use to him and his herd at all…and the same is true for you and for me. God is always ready to do His Part to grow us into Vibrant Vessels for Him, but He won’t do all the Work that it takes to get there. We have to be sure to add all those other things that it takes to grow Fruit that is rich, and abundant and healthy too. IF we do nothing to assure that we produce Good Fruit; all we can expect to grow is weeds. If “weeds” are of no real benefit to a farmer; what good are Weeds when it comes to the Living God? He doesn’t just want “green” sprouting up uncontrollably. He wants GOOD fruit that will be beneficial to His Herd too…and it takes a little work to achieve that.

Weeds are strong and resilient and they aren’t easy to control. Weeds can grow in every nook and cranny, and weeds grow like wildfire. Some weeds may be pleasing to the eyes, and if we don’t know the difference, we’ll easily mistake a weed for a flower. But it doesn’t take long to see that the weed doesn’t produce the beauty or the fragrance of a real flower at all, and it has no ability to Produce Good because of it. Weeds grow in every direction with no rhyme or reason, and when they’re left unattended; they have the ability to snuff the life out of whatever good stands in the way…and so it is with people of Faith. When people of Faith become lazy, and they refuse to do their part to Grow Good, they invite the weeds to take up residence in the Heart, and eventually the weeds will consume the Good in them too. When the weeds take over in a person of Faith, they end up doing a whole lot more harm than Good in the process, and they have the potential to snuff the Life out of whoever stands in their way too. It doesn’t take any effort on our part to grow weeds. Anybody can do that! But growing Good Fruit is an entirely different story. Just like the farmer…it takes nourishment, and hard work, and diligence, and commitment, and a determination to do whatever it takes to Produce Good fruit that will bring about Good things in His Herd. I may not be able to control all the weeds around this old farm, but I CAN control the weeds in my Heart, and when I do my Part; God ALWAYS does His. I’m doing my Part to be sure that my Life is filled with Good Fruit so that I can be pleasing to the King AND used by Him to do Good for as long as there is breath in my body.

How about you?

Pride Goes Before Destruction…

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Good morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. I had a long meeting with the Living God inside a warm kitchen this morning, and we spent some time working on my Heart. He made sure to highlight my weakness, and He reminded me of His Strength. Some of the Message He had for me made me weep with shame, and some of the Message made me overflow with joy. But none of the Message would have been possible, nor would it have any impact on my Life whatsoever, had I refused to be willing to be Molded by my Maker again this morning. When it comes to things like Heart and Character, there’s no such thing as being “complete”. There’s always room for improvement and I’m always so eager to be all that I can be for Him. The birdhouse in this photo served as a sweet reminder to me, that I may stand out like a soar thumb in a dark world, I may stand alone in this life, and I sometimes waver in the wind…but just like this old birdhouse, I’ll keep standing Tall and Reaching High until the End of my Journey. Isn’t that the way you look at your and your life too?

There are lots of reasons why most people don’t continue to Grow for as long as they live; but I think the biggest reason is pride. It’s often said “pride comes before the fall” but that’s a spin-off from Words in Proverbs that drives the message home a little deeper… “pride goes before destruction, a haughty (arrogant) spirit before a fall”. Pride is what prevents us from being willing to be transparent, and pride is what keeps us from sharing our trials. Pride is where we convince ourselves that we’re something we’re not, and that we’re bigger and better than we really are. Pride is what makes us run from the Spirit of God when it’s Lesson Time, and pride is what stands in the way of revealing our weaknesses. Pride is what prompts us to judge someone else, and pride is what makes us lie to ourselves about who and what we really are. Pride drives greed, and pride drives lies. It’s pride that will stop us from helping the helpless, and it’s pride that leads us to find our identity in wealth. A prideful heart refuses to admit when it’s wrong, and pride stands in the way of forgiveness of another. There’s no end to the destruction that pride brings with it, and eventually pride will build a shell around the heart that it is so hard, that we’re no longer recognizable as God’s people and we’re useless to the King. There’s no room for pride if we want to grow, and unless we get a handle on pride; we can’t find humility.

I’ve been slapped around by people of Faith more often than I can count when they hear me confess my weaknesses or when I share my trials or temptations. Their pride drives them to believe that if you are a person of Faith, all those things are “in the past” and that those aren’t things aren’t things we share with the world. But I have no pride when it comes to being a Vessel for the Living God, and I know that the more I share about my own Life; the more inclined God will be to use me to help someone else. My Life isn’t just a big ball of mess, even though it’s felt that way sometimes, my Life is Powerful, Living, Breathing Testimony, and I’m not too proud to share it. Every single piece has grown me, and every pain has made me Stronger. But most of all; I know that ” in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to His purpose”…so ALL of it has been used for Good. My Life has Purpose, and I’m humbled to be used by the King. So, whenever pride sneaks in, and I begin to take credit for things in my life, it’s time for a Lesson in Humility straight from the Throne of the Living God. I may not like it much when it’s Lesson Time, but I’m ready and willing to be Molded by my Maker so that I can be ALL that He intends for me to be for as long as there is breath in my body.

How about you?