Good morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. I’m saying “so long” to a challenging season and I’m happy to welcome a new day of a new week with a Renewed Mind, Body, and Soul. Everybody gets thrown a curve ball every once in a while, but it’s never the curve ball that causes the hardship, it’s how we handle the curve ball that matters the most. When I met with the Living God this morning I thanked Him for seeing me through the challenges of the season and I thanked Him for the curve ball too. My curve balls come as no surprise to the King of all kings, so when He pitches one to me, He has a Good Purpose for it. Isn’t that how you look at the unexpected curve balls in your Journey of Life too?

It can be so easy to get rattled when a curve ball comes our way, but becoming rattled serves no Good Purpose and it doesn’t stop the curve balls from coming. The curve balls aren’t a “sign” that God doesn’t love us, and they aren’t a “sign” that He’s fallen asleep at the Throne and forgotten about us either. Sometimes the minor curve balls are just a part of life in this Journey and they serve as a Reminder to persevere. They’re just a minor inconvenience with no real purpose at all…like getting a flat tire or catching the flu. Then there are the major curve balls that temporarily knock the wind out of our sails when they take us by surprise – now THOSE always have a Purpose…even when we don’t understand it. It’s when those major curve balls come our way that the real decisions come in. We can dodge the ball like a wussie OR we can step up to the Spiritual plate and Swing like never before. If we’re willing to Swing for the King, we will ALWAYS persevere and if we Swing hard enough, we’ll knock the curve ball right out of the park. This is the Key to having the curve balls become Major Victories.

I get my share of curve balls in this Journey called Life…some are just minor inconveniences that are a part of everyday life, and some have the potential to knock the wind out of my sails temporarily. It takes Wisdom to discern the difference but it doesn’t matter if they’re minor ones or major ones…the only thing that ever really matters is how I view the curve balls and whether or not I’m willing to Swing for the King each time one comes my way. Nobody ever won a battle by doing nothing, and nobody ever hits it out of the Park by refusing to Swing. The best part is that when we continue to Swing, no matter what the curve ball looks like from where we sit, eventually we grow Stronger and our Precision is Perfected – and when we hit the curve ball with everything we’ve Got (in His Name), that ball will split wide open and Victory will pour out of it…every single time IF we’re Swinging for the King.

I got thrown a curve ball but that’s all behind me now. I kept Swinging through the challenge and it didn’t take any time at all to split that ball wide open so Victory could flow out. My Precision is Perfected because of the curve balls and I’ll be Swinging for the King as long as there is breath in my body. I don’t like the curve balls much, but I sure do like the Victory!

How about you?

Good morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. There wasn’t a whole lot on my mind or my Heart this morning, so when I met with the Living God it was all about Love. No distracting thoughts and no major Requests to toss at the cross…just an overwhelming feeling of Love and an irresistible urge to tell Him what I believe He already knows. Since we are made in the image of God, I’m pretty sure that the God of all Creation likes to Hear how much we Love Him the same as we like to hear it ourselves. David said “Your praise shall continually be in my mouth” and he (David) was known to be a “man after God’s own heart” so I take my lead from him and I let God know with my lips how much I love Him. So, this morning I poured out my Heart and spoke Words of Love and Gratitude to the King of all Kings, and I praised Him with a few Love Songs in the process. The best part about Love is that when you’re sure to Express it from the depths of your Heart, it always comes back tenfold. Isn’t that the way you look at Love too?

It can be so easy to get comfortable when it comes to Love, but we miss out on the Beauty of having the Love return to us tenfold when we begin to take it for granted. Love needs to be Nurtured and Expressed and when it’s not, the sweetness of the “new” begins to fade and the relationship grows weaker every day. It’s true for our loved ones and it’s true for our relationship with the Living God. Keeping Love alive isn’t always easy, and it’s never possible when we place it on autopilot. It takes determination to do our part to be SURE that the Love is Nurtured – It’s true for ALL relationships… from our mate to our children and everyone in between…and it’s especially true for our Relationship with the Living God. Failing to Nurture any one of those relationships doesn’t mean they necessarily go away, but anything that is no longer nurtured no longer thrives. There isn’t a whole lot of space between no longer thriving and no longer Loving, so if we want to be filled with the feeling of Love that defies words, it has to be Nurtured and Expressed…beginning with the One who gives us Life. When we Love Him and Determine to Nurture the Greatest Love…Love in every area of Life comes back to us tenfold. With that in mind, who would ever let the Light of Love dim by refusing to Express our Love with WORDS AND ACTION?

Everything in life takes balance, but that’s especially true when it comes to Love. It’s not enough for anybody to rely merely on actions to be an expression of love…and it’s not enough for God. It’s also not enough to Speak the words of Love with no action to back up the words….that won’t fly in any relationship – especially the one with the Most High. There’s no doubt that the God of All Creation LOVES to hear us Express our Love and Gratitude…that’s what Praise looks like… but if we express it and fail to show it with action too, it doesn’t carry much weight with Him. On the other hand, we can work like beavers doing nice things to “express our love”, but if we never Express our Love with Time and Words that flow from deep within the Heart…it doesn’t carry much weight with Him either. It takes Determination on our part to keep the “newness” of Love by Nurturing it every day, and it takes Balance to Express it to Perfection. Most people master one or the other…some are great expressers and some are great workers…but far too many people don’t get the Balance right. Some people have the perfect balance in all their earthly relationships, but they somehow overlook the Importance of Nurturing their Relationship with the King of Kings…the One who never fails to Love back tenfold when we do.

Love overflows in every area of my Life and I do my best to do my part to Nurture it. I don’t just say “I love you” – I live like I do. It all begins with the King of Kings…the One who died for me…the One who stands at the right hand of the Throne of God and intercedes on my behalf…the Source of my Joy, Peace, and Love! It all begins and ends with Him, and when I have Our Relationship in order, the Love comes back to me tenfold.

How about you?

Good morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. It’s cold and windy again this morning and my heart is beginning to long for a warm day on the front porch. Instead, I met with the Living God inside looking out at a world coming alive right before my very eyes. I know what to expect in the mornings after all the years of watching and I can almost hear the birds singing the minute I spot them in the trees. What a joy it is to watch God’s Creation come alive! From where I sit, there’s absolutely nothing like watching the Master wake up the world and nothing like watching nature respond to His glory. For as long as there is breath within me I’ll grab my Bible and my coffee and I’ll meet with the Living God with a front-row seat of this old farm. It might sound like such a simple thing to you, but it’s a huge Blessing to me. Isn’t that the way it should be in the Journey called Life?

Simple isn’t in the vocabulary of most people these days. Some are super observant and they don’t ever seem to miss a detail. No matter what the situation, or how complex the scenario, they seem to zero in on details and they’re able to embed them in their photographic memory and recall them at will. But even though they can recall a conversation word-for-word, they’ll often overlook expressions or responses of the people in the midst of the conversation where the most Beautiful and Meaningful details can be found. If they aren’t careful. they might miss the tears behind the smile or the pain behind a bad joke because those things look like “minor” details to the one who focuses more on details than on mankind. If they aren’t careful, the beauty of the simple things will get lost in all of the meaningless details. The biggest blessings are found in the simplest things.

Some people live in a small world of their own and they’re easily overwhelmed when they step outside their safety zone. The glass is almost always half full to them and they’re quick to point out the flaws. They have become so focused on their own life and their own wants and needs, that they overlook the obvious things the rest of the world clearly sees. They stumble around through life rarely experiencing true Joy because they fail to look beyond the smallness of their own world. When the Blessings are pointed out to them, more often than not they resent the distraction that took them outside of their comfort zone and they quickly refocus on themselves all over again. Little do they Know that the biggest blessings are found in the simplest things.

Some people seem to naturally recognize the Blessings as they come along, and they’re able to sift and sort through the chaos in Life while they hone in on the smallest blessings. Like a moth drawn to the light, these people are drawn to the Beauty of the Simple things and they experience true Joy as they point the blessings out to another as if they’d just seen the most amazing thing on the planet for the very first time. These people intuitively know that the biggest blessings are found in the simplest things in life and they have discovered the secret to Peace, Contentment, and Joy because of it.

I’m enjoying the big blessings in the simplest things in life today. I won’t be dwelling on the negative nor will I sweat the small stuff. From where I sit, the most amazing things can be found in a simple sunrise and “simple” time with my God without all the “noise” so many people call “worship” and I adore, a simple laugh and a simple cup of coffee…it’s ALL a blessing to me! My prayer is that I NEVER allow the chaos of the dark world to cloud my view of the Simple things in this Journey called Life.

How about you?

Good morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. It’s the first day of a new week and I’m already armored up and ready to Run after my time with the Living God. In this Life, I have many roles, and each one is rich and beautiful in its own way. My role in each one takes very little effort because it’s my Honor to serve and the Core of it all is Love. But there is One Role…the Common Denominator of all the others…and that Role, isn’t quite as “effortless” as all the others. In that Role, I’m an Ambassador for the Most High God and I have a real Enemy that would love to devour, distract, and destroy all the others. BUT that’s not going to happen on my Watch because I Know my Place in the Kingdom of God and I Know how to Fight the war and WIN. Isn’t that the way you look at your Roles too?

There have been times in my Life when I’ve said “Do you know who you’re dealing with?” OR “Don’t you know who I am?” but I was never referring to my significance in this world…I was referring to my Role in the Kingdom of God. Not everybody makes their way to where I am and sadly, far too many don’t care one way or another…and that’s where I come in. I’m not just your average wife, mother, grandmother, friend, businesswoman, or Christian! I am an Ambassador for the Most High God! I am Royalty. I was Chosen before the foundations of the earth and I was born for such a time as this. No weapon formed against me will ever prosper because I never battle alone and I Know Who to go to for Help. I can do ALL things through Christ who gives me Strength and I have absolutely nothing to fear. So, I will always be Victorious as long as I take my Role seriously and I do my Part to Stay Strong every day.

I’m pretty good at all my roles in this Journey called Life – NOT because I’m better than all the rest – but because I Understand the Importance of the Common Denominator in every area of my Life. He’s the Center of it all. He’s the One to Balance the details. He’s the One who fights the battles. He’s my Protector and my Provider. He’s the One who makes a way when there seems to be no way and He’s the One I Surrender to. So, as long as HE is first in my Life…my Leading Role…everything else will be as close to perfect as it can possibly be on this side of Heaven no matter what. I’m as bold as a lion and as gentle as a lamb and I’m Equipped to walk through fire whenever it’s necessary all because of Him. This is the ONLY way to Balance a Big Life and to find Victory through it all.

How about you?

Good morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. I began this new day like a new chapter in Life and I sought His Will and Wisdom for my Life like a child. My Heart was Tenderized by the King a long time ago, but if I don’t let Him work on me every single day, my Heart will be inclined to crust over just like the fields crusted over with ice this morning. Of all the things I can do to Serve Him…of all the things I can do to Praise Him…of all the things I can do to Please Him…examining my own Heart to be sure it’s Pleasing to Him is at the top of the list. If the condition of my Heart isn’t where He wants it to be, no amount of “shining” will melt the ice-crusted around my own Heart…or anybody else’s I encounter today. Isn’t that the way you look at the condition of your Heart too?

It can be so easy to assume that the Heart can’t crust over with ice for people of Faith, but that’s not true. Coming to our Faith is the turning point toward Victory and a secured Future, but it’s a daily battle to melt the ice and not something we’re immune to just because we Believe. When things grow cold…and they always will… there’s always a risk of ice crusting around the Heart, and when we don’t get busy melting it right away, it grows thicker and thicker each day. There’s water under the crust of ice on the fields today and all it takes is a step in the right direction to break through the layer of ice. But if the temperatures don’t rise before more ice is layered on top of the crust, it will take a blunt force to break through…and so it is with the Journey of Life. The sooner we examine our own Hearts the easier it is to break through – and if we delay getting our Heart in Good Condition for Him, the harder the force it will take to break through. Allowing the Heart to crust with ice is much easier than you can imagine, but a daily Heart Examination and a Willing Spirit will melt away even the biggest offense.

“I see dead people” is just a famous line from a movie we joke about, but I see dead people too. Not dead in the flesh, but dead in spirit with Hearts crusted over with ice. The cold in this dark world has gotten to them, and the madness of our circumstances has caused their Hearts to crust over. They seem to do a lot of examining the news, and they busy themselves with gossip and theories, and although you hear them mention God, He’s clearly not their main Attraction at all. When you hear them talk about their adversaries in this world, I think they’ve forgotten that God loves them too despite their wicked ways – with a good Heart Examine, that would be easily remembered. With Hearts crusted over with ice day after day and month after month, it will take blunt force to break through UNLESS they begin to Examine their own Hearts each day to be sure the ice doesn’t thicken. Until then, they’ll keep walking around like dead people with not enough Light in their lives to make an Eternal difference at all. Nothing matters more or makes a Bigger Difference in a dark world than a Willing Spirit and a daily Heart Exam. This is the Key to being a useful Vessel at such a time as this.

I’ve had a good Heart Exam this morning and there were a few things that needed to be taken to the King…things I didn’t even see yesterday. I have a Tenderized Heart that is pleasing to my God and its warmth will melt any ice I encounter today. It’s a new day and a new Chapter in the Journey called Life, AND I’M READY. I’m ready to show the world what a Tenderized Heart looks like, and if ice begins to crust around me when I least expect it, I won’t excuse it…I’ll take it to the Throne as fast as I can because I know that an ice-crusted Heart is of no use to the King of all Kings.

How about you?

Good morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. I’m back to Business today after a few days of downtime to spend with family, and I’m as eager to get going as a child on a Christmas morning. There is an old hymn titled “Every Day With Jesus Is Sweeter Than The Day Before” and when I hear it I wonder if the writer could have been looking into my Heart. Every day with Jesus IS sweeter than the day before and it’s not possible to have enough Time with Him with a Heart that Loves him like that. It’s impossible for me to imagine how anyone could question the existence of my God or that anyone could convince themselves that a morning like this just happens all on its own. But the Bible says, “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see” so I marvel at the work of His Hands every single day and in every single little thing that passes through my Life. Isn’t that the way it’s supposed to be?

I guess some people give credit to “nature” or to “science” because they can’t fathom that the earth was formed by God alone…but they don’t Know my God. They don’t believe that He placed all of the stars in the sky and that He knows them by name…but they don’t Know my God. They can’t believe that He separated the water from the land and that He gives boundaries to the waves or that He once flooded the entire earth to destroy what He Himself had created just to begin again…but they don’t Know my God. They can’t imagine that He opens the heavens to bring forth the rain and the snow and that He withholds them all for His purpose too…but they don’t Know my God. They can’t believe that the earth rattles and shakes and that volcanoes erupt with just one word from the Living God…but they don’t Know my God. It’s hard for me to understand how and why others don’t Believe what I Believe but that’s where I come in…AND that’s what keeps me as excited as a child on a Christmas morning. With so many people trying to maneuver through this life without Hope breaks my Heart and propels me into Action in His Name. This is the Key to Living out your Purpose in this Journey called Faith.

It’s easy to praise God when you see Him from where I’m sitting. It’s easy to look out upon this imperfect old farm and to see the beauty in every single thing when you see with eyes like mine. I stand in awe of the Majesty of the Living God every single day and It “shows” in my Life. I am blessed beyond measure to be able to live here on this beautiful farm but it’s not the real estate that I share with the world. It’s a picture of God from the front-row seat of my Faith that captures the photos and the hearts from this front porch in Virginia. It’s easy for me to give credit where credit is due because “faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see”.

I’m marveling at the majesty of the Living God this morning and I’m giving thanks for the Heart that I have for Him. He chose me before the foundations of the earth and I chose to follow Him when He came calling. So you see, even my surrendered Heart was ordained by God Almighty and now He’s the Author and Perfecter of my Faith. There is no limit to the things God gets credit for when you believe He is who He says He is. He’s the great “I AM” – He’s the Alpha and Omega – He’s the beginning and the end – He’s the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and He’s my God! Every day with Jesus really is sweeter than the day before!

How about you?

Good morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. I stepped outside to see what the Hand of God painted today and I was overwhelmed by what I saw for the millionth time. No two mornings are alike. No two palettes are alike. No two sounds of the birds or scenes of the deer are alike, BUT it all looks new to me because I choose to See things in Living Color instead of black & white. They say that the most common regrets people have when they die are that they didn’t stop to smell the roses and they didn’t take more time with loved ones…but that won’t be me. I’m determined to live in Living Color where “awe” is a common response to “ordinary” things. The Bible says, “Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes” So, the way I see it is IF I want to savor it all in the little time I have on this earth, then I need to be sure to look at Life in Living Color and never in black & white. Isn’t that the way you see your Journey too?

It’s sad to see so many people living in black & white and apparently nothing shy of “extraordinary” ever tempts them to look at Life in Living Color. I’m sure at some point they did, but somehow they allowed the Gift of Life to lose its luster and they traded Joy for the mundane. Black & white living can cause a parent to trade the opportunity to watch a child chase a butterfly (for the millionth time) for a little more time on a smartphone all because Living Color isn’t on their radar and their black & white mindset makes them believe they have “plenty of time” to catch up. If you were to call them on it, they’d probably say something like “I’ve seen that plenty of times before” and while that may be true, no two giggles are the same in Living Color. Choosing to live in black & white is probably one of the biggest causes of divorce as the one longing for Living Color grows tired of the one determined to live in black and white. Living in black and white is the root cause of depression for those who just can’t see the purpose of Living in Color. It’s not complicated when you think about it. Choosing to walk the Journey in Living Color all comes down to a Heart of Gratitude. With a Heart filled with Gratitude, you Know that each day is a Gift and each encounter is Ordained and you See the beauty in it all…even the “mundane”.

I’m a diamond in the rough but I love Jesus Christ with my whole Heart and I’m living a Living Color Life. I’m busier than most humans ever thought about being but never too busy to see my Life in Living Color. Never too busy to slow down with someone I love. Never too busy for another priceless giggle. Never too busy to share the Love of Jesus. Does that make me special? You bet I am! I’m Royalty – I’m a child of the Living God – I’m Victorious – How could I NOT live out my Journey in Living Color?

How about you?

Good morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. It’s a new day of a new week and the fog is so thick you could almost cut it with a knife – a clear indicator that our winter temperatures have been up and down. I think the fog looks mysterious to everybody when we’re struggling to reach what we cannot see. I like the mysterious look of fog over the fields at the farm but that’s because I know, with absolute certainty, what it looks like on the other side of the fog even when I can’t see it with my eyes. Because I’ve studied the fields around me for so long, I know what lies ahead. As I considered the foggy fields and the low visibility this morning, I realized that this is precisely the way it is with the Journey of Faith. When we Know His Word, we know what’s coming even though we can’t see it with our eyes. We’ve studied it. We’ve savored it. We Believe it. Isn’t that just like God to strike my Heart through the fog?

The Bible says “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” and this one verse can make a non-believer absolutely crazy as they question why WE don’t question what we cannot see and they insist on having “proof” that God exists at all. No doubt Noah had his share of ridicule over the 120 years it took him to build the Ark but Noah was confident in what he couldn’t see. Noah and his family were the only ones to survive the flood and the proof-seekers were swallowed up by the sea. I wonder if they were still questioning as they drew their last breath? The world is filled with people wanting “proof” for plenty of things of God. In fact, modern-day churches are filled with people who only want an intellectual faith and if things get a little crazy when the Holy Spirit shows up…things they can’t intellectualize…they’re out. They don’t want to hear about the supernatural things of God because many of these things can’t be “proven” in their eyes. Plenty of pastors fast forward past scripture they can’t explain as if God included some insignificant things in His Word. If it’s written, I believe it…period. The “proof” I need is within my own Heart.

Sometimes I wonder what makes people so confident that they’re going to Heaven when they seem so far away from Truth and they refuse to Believe in what they can’t explain. Faithfully attending church won’t get you to Heaven. Opening the Word of God a few minutes here and a few minutes there won’t get you to Heaven. Your ability to quote your favorite scripture won’t get you to Heaven. Serving won’t get you to Heaven and neither will making donations. Sitting on a committee or teaching Sunday school won’t get you to Heaven. Being a greeter at the front door or an usher to collect the offering won’t get you to Heaven either. There really is only one way…to “buy in” to every Word of the Living Word of God and to Surrender every ounce of you and your will to a God you can’t even see with your eyes. Jesus said, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’ Performance means nothing to the Living God – He wants blind Faith, a sold-out Heart, and the relationship of all Relationships. He wants to Know that you’ll follow Him through the fog and beyond. He wants to Know that you trust Him to lead even when you can’t see Him. This is what Faith looks like!

It’s Monday, it’s foggy, and it’s beautiful from the inside out. The Author and Perfector of my Faith has spoken to my Heart this morning and I’ve been Readied by the One I cannot see with my eyes. There isn’t enough I can say or do to adequately Describe my Love for Him BUT, the One I can’t see can read my Heart through it all. “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen”.

How about you?

Good morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. After I stepped outside onto the cold porch to see what kind of day I was being blessed, I settled down at my warm desk with the front-row view of the farm. The front lawn was filled with furry friends in all kinds of shapes and sizes, but I set my eyes on this one and we stared at each other for what seemed like the longest time. Every once in a while she would inch a little closer to the porch and we’d each get a closer look at each other. Those moments with my furry friend caused me to think about how it is when we slow down and determine to love and respect everyone (and everything) God has Created, we don’t see “threat” or “enemy” anymore, we just see the Hand of God. Isn’t it just like my God to use a stare-down with a deer to ignite a Message in my Heart?

If I were to paraphrase what God said to Job right after He warned him to “brace yourself like a man” I would have to say that God was asking Job “WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?” God goes on to remind Job of all the wonders of Creation that wouldn’t be possible without Him and the more God speaks, the smaller Job feels. In fact, Job feels so low in comparison to the Most High God that he thinks it would have been best had he never been born. In the Big Scheme of things, Job didn’t do a lot of “harm” but He offended the Creator of All by assuming to know the Mind of God. I can’t help but wonder, how many times a day…an hour…a minute…does God get impatient with us as we Profess to Know His mind? “WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?” How many times a day…an hour…a minute…does God’s anger or disappointment rage as He sees the way we stare at people who aren’t the same as we are and how effortlessly we show contempt for another one of His Creations. “WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?”

People of Faith can be the world’s worst judges of other people and the very reason so many people want nothing to do with Jesus because of it. Like the Pharisees, they show contempt when people don’t act the way they think they should and they aren’t afraid to announce their wrongs to the world as if they’ll get some sort of Award in Heaven for judging other people not like them. “WHO DO THEY THINK THEY ARE?” I’m convinced that if everybody would take a long hard (honest) look at their own lives, it wouldn’t take long for them to stop judging the lives of others and they’d be wishing they’d been born just like Job did when they stand before an angry and disappointed God. He KNOWS WHO WE ARE and He doesn’t need a stare-down to figure things out. He sees the brokenness. He sees the sin. He sees the judgment. He sees the hate. He sees it all AND He paid the price for it all when He died on the Cross. When you look at it that way ‘WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?” to EVER look at someone else with anything less than Love?

I’m an imperfect woman living an imperfect life BUT I love Jesus more than I love air…and it shows. When I took that long hard look at my own life, and I realized that He Loves me despite everything I’ve ever done, said, or thought that goes against Him and that He died on that Cross to pay the price for my sins, I reacted like Job did at first. I cried. I was so ashamed of myself and I too thought it would have been better had I never been born…BUT that feeling didn’t last long. My Shame was turned into Joy and I spend most of my Time telling other people how Great God is instead of staring at others just so that I can point out how flawed they are. WHO DO I THINK I AM? That’s simple. I’m a child of the Living God! I’m Royalty! I’m a sinner that WAS lost but NOW I’m found. I was blind but now I see. I’m Victorious and I’m Heaven-bound. Being grateful for these things is a Full Time Job and there isn’t the time OR the inclination to stare at another one of His Creations or to Judge what only He can. I don’t see “threat” or “enemy” anymore…only the Hand of God in ALL He has Created.

How about you?

Good morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. I’m not sure if I was hungry to be taught or if God was just ready to teach me – either way, this was a morning for Knowledge. Not just any kind of knowledge…the kind of Knowledge it takes to Grow in grace. It’s as if God took out a Heavenly highlighter and lit up the Words that I needed to see, and I couldn’t seem to get enough as He taught me. When you have a Relationship with the Living God, it takes on many different Shapes…each One is one step closer to Him. Sometimes it’s Praise, sometimes it’s Heart Surgery, sometimes it’s revealing painful things about myself, and sometimes it’s time to soak in the Knowledge. When you spend Time in the Presence of the One who “scattered the stars in the sky and knows them each by name” you just never know what He has in mind until you Meet. Isn’t that the way it is with you too?

God is the same “yesterday, today, and forevermore” but He’s not just an invisible Powerhouse in the sky, and He longs for a Relationship with His children. Each day is a new day to Learn more of what He wants us to Learn so that we can become more of what He wants us to be. When we see Him as just an invisible Powerhouse in the sky – we might have plenty of respect and reverence – but we don’t have Relationship. How can we have a Relationship if all we do is recite prayers passed down for generations, and how can we ever Know His Heart for us unless we seek His face? How can He use a Heavenly highlighter to Light the way to the Words He wants us to read if we’re just skimming the surface like panning for gold? How can we have a Relationship if we sing songs because we like the music without Giving Him the praise He deserves while we’re at it? There is a tremendous amount of “mystery” surrounding the God of all Creation, but there is NO Mystery surrounding what He wants from each of us…He wants a Relationship with His Children…the kind that overflows with Love and Gratitude and that longs to Please, and the kind that never grows tired of Him.

The Bible says “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also, so it isn’t hard to miss when God is pushed to the background for bigger priorities. I’ve heard plenty of people say “I can’t spend all day praying and reading the way you do” but I don’t spend all day doing those things either! He gets the first part of my day, the biggest part of my Heart, and my time and attention as I walk this Journey called Life. His Spirit dwells within me so I see Him everywhere I go, and I feel Him with me even when I’m not “praying and reading” because our Relationship has been Nourished. When we spend the Time to Nourish our Relationship with the Author and Perfecter of our Faith it pays off tenfold, and we have built-in Barometer for our words, our actions, our attitude, and our love everywhere we go, and in everything we do. He IS my Treasure and He has my Heart, and because of that I “consider” Him in all that I do. When you look at it that way, why in the world would we NOT do our Part to have a Relationship with Him?

I picked up some Knowledge this morning about things I’ve never even thought about before, and I’m Stronger and more Ready for this Journey called Life because of it. The most important One in my Life got the first part of me this morning and our Relationship is Stronger than ever. I’m His Child…and He’s my God…and it shows because we Nourish our Relationship every day.

How about you?