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?

GOD GAVE ME THESE WORDS A YEAR AGO TODAY AND THEY’VE BLESSED ME ALL OVER AGAIN THIS MORNING. I PRAY THEY DO YOU AS WELL!

Good morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. It’s cold this morning but it will be warming up soon and as much as I’d like to see it, there’s no possibility of snow. I looked out onto the horizon being lit up by God and I gave thanks for it all, but as I was trying to let the sunrise soak in, my eyes kept shifting to the limbs and the twigs on the trees as if I was seeing them for the first time. Each one is unlike all the others and each one has a allotted time for when it will fall to the ground and become part of what used to be. Isn’t that just like people? Some of them will cling to the Tree of Life all the days of their lives, while others… the “weaker” ones… will just give up and fall to the ground and become part of what used to be. Isn’t that the way you see it too?

It can be so easy for us to clump all the “people of Faith” together as if we’re all the same…but we miss out on the Majesty of His Creation when we do. Each one of us was knit together in our mother’s womb at the Perfect moment in Time and there’s no such thing as a mistake or bad timing in His eyes. Each one of us has a unique Purpose in this Journey called Life…whether we ever get around to fulfilling it or not. Each one of us Knows the God of all Creation and most of us have been Taught the same Lessons. The biggest difference is that some of us will desperately cling to the Tree of Life while plenty of others are content to fall to the ground where they’ll get mixed in with all the rest and their uniqueness will fade away in the shuffle. We all have the God of Creation in common, but that’s not all we have in common. One day each one of us will succumb to our weakness and we’ll fall to the ground just like all the limbs and twigs do, and the opportunity we had to Cling to the Tree of Life in the time we were Allotted will be over. When that happens we DO get clumped together for all of Eternity. The desperate ones who clung to the Tree of Life on one side and all the others content to fall to the ground to be part of what used to be on the other. This is the Key to the importance of sharing the Message of Truth with ALL the world…in and out of the church.

There’s a big difference between being determined and being desperate. Some people walk out their Journey of Faith determined to be God experts and they aren’t afraid to let you know how smart they are. They believe the more head knowledge they have the stronger their faith so they study and study and they judge and judge. Sadly, most of what you hear from them comes from the head and not the heart. These same people have THE REASON for why people sin and suffer and they probably can’t even spell HUMILITY or COMPASSION. Those poor souls don’t realize that they’ve already fallen to the ground like many before them because they’re lost in their quest for knowledge. It doesn’t take knowledge to desperately cling to the Tree of Life, it takes Heart…the kind of Heart that may not have all the answers but one that clings to every Word anyway. The kind of Heart that knows how helpless and hopeless it is without Him so it clings even more each day. The kind of Heart that overflows with Compassion for all those lost people and for the others that somehow went from clinging to becoming part of what used to be. The kind of Heart that understands the finality of the fall and the kind of Heart Desperate to Share the Truth because of it.

I marvel at the One who Commands the sun and moon and that He would send a Reminder to me in the twigs and the limbs this morning. You won’t find me clumped together like an everyday card-carrying Christian and you won’t find me fallen on the ground becoming part of what used to be. You’ll find me celebrating my Uniqueness and embracing my Purpose. You’ll find me desperately clinging to the Tree of Life all the days of my life, and when it comes time for me to fall to the ground, I’ll be clumped together with my brothers and sisters in Heaven. The Heart for Christ is a Desperate Heart and that’s the only kind of Heart I want to have. The only determination on my radar is the kind of determination that makes me want to be all that I can be for Him and a determination to Boldly Share the Truth with all the ones who have fallen to the ground.

How about you?

Good morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. It was warm yesterday but cold overnight and the drastic temperature difference isn’t always easy to adjust to. Just yesterday I enjoyed coffee outside when the sun warmed up the earth, but this morning frost is covering everything…including the deer. As I met with the Author and Perfecter of my Faith this morning, He used the drastic change from warm to cold to remind me that this is the way it is with Life. One minute it’s warm and cozy and the next minute it’s cold as ice and that’s not so easy to adjust to either. But as long as we know how to prepare for the changes, and as long as we know Life is Destined to change overnight sometimes, we don’t fight against the flow of the Hand of God. We aren’t promised smooth sailing all the days of our lives- but we ARE Promised an easy ride if we cling to the Will of a Mighty God. Isn’t that the way it is with you sometimes too?

It’s crazy how much people have to say about the weather. Second to politics they seem to talk about the weather more than anything else! When you think about it, there are some similarities in how people handle something as simple as the weather and how they handle Life. Virginia has 4 beautiful seasons and I wouldn’t trade them for a place that only has one season for anything in the world. I like the drastic differences of the seasons, and the beauty that each one brings makes me appreciate it even more. It’s as if God designed the timing of each season so that just when we think we’ve had enough, we switch to a new one with its own unique beauty…AND its own unique challenges. When it comes to this Journey called Life, the only constant we have is the Living God. He’s the same “yesterday, today, and forever more” – thank you, God! – but everything else is subject to drastic change in the blink of an eye. Life can go from warm and cozy to cold as ice faster than we can say “Amen”- and it’s only when we accept that God Almighty has a Master Plan through it all that we can find our Peace no matter the Temperature.

Some people cringe at the mere thought of freezing temperatures as if they’d be forced to sleep outside. Some people begin to sweat at the mere mention of higher temperatures as if they’d be forced to scorch in the sun. Some people run from the rain and others run from the snow and most of the rest are thrown for a loop when they experience a drastic change in either direction. I think if we pause to consider how we handle something as unpredictable as the weather, we’d see some similarities in how we handle our Unpredictable Life too. Some dread the changes before they ever happen. Some lie awake at night imagining the worst. Some run and try to hide, while others are thrown for a loop when things drastically change overnight as if they thought things would always be the same. But nothing is the same…except God Almighty… and He’s ALWAYS changing things around for His Purpose. He brings the storms to raise our Core Temperature and He’ll make it rain in our lives for as long as He thinks He needs to! But just like the 4 seasons in Virginia…just when we think we’ve had enough, God brings the New Season along with its own Beauty and its own set of Challenges. It’s a wonderful Life when we understand that it comes with Drastic Changes and we accept the Will of an Amazing God…no matter the Temperature.

God used the drastic change in the weather to Remind me that He’s the ONLY constant in my Life. He’s the same yesterday, today, AND FOREVERMORE and He’ll be there for me through it all. When my Life goes from warm and cozy to cold as ice I won’t whine or run, because I’ve lived through His Changes countless Times and I Trust His Plans for me. Just when I think I’ve “had enough” He’ll change the Season in His Time…a Season with beauty of its own and a whole new set of Challenges.

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 breezy outside this morning, and when I stepped onto the front porch to see what kind of day God made, I could have heard a pin drop. I like to see for myself what’s in store for the new day and I don’t pay much attention to man-made predictions even if they’re made using man-made technology and I’m not one to panic over what is predicted by man because I place my Faith in the one who Created the moon and the stars. Some people will be anxiously awaiting a “word” from a groundhog today about the timing of Spring as if that creature can predict the weather. It’s amazing how the human heart can’t seem to bear to “wait and see” and it is forever chasing some version of the truth to satisfy its thirst to know. As I sat in the Presence of the Greatest Truth Teller and the only One able to accurately Predict events all the way to Eternity, I thought about how many people lose their way as they long to live in tomorrow before it ever even gets here. Isn’t that the way you see it too?

There’s a lot to be said about modern technology and man’s ability to predict everything from a winter storm to cancer BUT God always has, and always will, have the Final Say over it all. The same God who calmed the storm with the sound of His voice can do the same thing today no matter what the radars say. The same God who parted the sea to make a way for millions of people to escape can STILL make a way today. The same God who caused the blind to see, the lame to walk, and the dead to rise again, is STILL in the Healing business today no matter what the test results say. No doubt I make people crazy when I hear, but don’t rely on, what modern science has to say. I’m sure I make them shake their heads when I say “Let’s see what God has to say” to whatever they’re relying on as truth. But I’m also pretty sure I make them crazy (in a good way) when they realize I don’t really care what their physician has to say about this ailment or that ailment – I ONLY care about what MY Physician has to say about Faith and His ability to heal anyone at any time. So, you’ll have to excuse me as I put my Faith in Him without hesitation and despite what man has to say. This is the Key to BELIEF!

The Bible is the best-selling Book of all time and it is packed full of 4,000 years of Truth about what has been and what will be. The Messiah is mentioned in all 66 books of the Bible and His birth was prophesied hundreds of years before He was ever born. We know when and where He was born. We know how many years He lived. We know He was crucified and rose again on the 3rd day and we know He’s coming back. The “problem” is that we don’t know when. Jesus said, “Nobody knows the day or the hour when all these things will happen. Only God the Father knows when they will happen. The angels who are in heaven do not know. Even the Son (Jesus) does not know and that’s the part that makes people crazy. Some come up with all kinds of Biblical “theories” using numbers and stars to predict His coming but they aren’t any more able to do that than the groundhog can predict the Spring. Some people don’t worry about the “when” part and they live as if they have forever, while others throw out the entire Bible and call it nonsense because the day and hour of the Biggest Appearance of all times have not been made known to man. from where I’m sitting, it doesn’t really matter WHEN He comes…He’s coming in God’s Time no matter what predictions man makes. The only thing we should concern ourselves with is whether (or not) WE ARE READY for His Return…whenever that is.

I don’t care much about what man says about the future, I only care what God says about it. “Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see” so I don’t need a groundhog, a scientist, or some sort of psychic to tell me when the King is coming back…I’m sure of what I hope for and certain of what I do not see. Since I don’t know if He’ll return in the next hour OR a thousand years from now, I LIVE and LOVE (and repent) as if it’s today. I don’t “wish I knew” any more than He wants me to Know, and what He wants me to Know is so beautiful that it defies words. I know He’s already “prepared” a place for me even though I’m not sure when I’ll move there. I know that I’ll never shed another tear and I’ll suffer no more pain when I get there. I know my loved ones will be there with me too – at least the ones who Know Him as I do will be and that’s why I work hard to share the Truth. I know I’ll get a new body that will never be sick and die. And the best part is that I KNOW Jesus will be there waiting for me and He’s going to welcome me Home Personally! When I know this much with absolute certainty, why in the world would I concern myself with knowing the day or the hour or anything in between that man predicts? Besides, because I DON’T know for sure when He’s coming for me, it keeps me on my toes Preparing for the King every day!

How about you?

Good morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. I hit the ground this morning with a heavy Heart for no good reason at all, so my time with the Living God this morning was Therapeutic more than anything else. He’s the best Heart Specialist of all and He can lift a heavy Heart in a heartbeat when I surrender it to Him. With just a little time spent at the foot of the Cross and a long talk with the One Who died for me, and my Heart overflows with Love and Compassion all over again and I’m excited about this new day. Throw in a good cup of coffee and a view to die for as the sun rises for the first time on this first day of a new month, and I am MORE than good to go. He is my Rest, my Shield, my Comforter, my Rock, my Hope, and the Love of my life. He is the ONLY way to turn when I have a “Heart problem”! Isn’t that the way you see it too?

Sometimes it makes no sense at all to the mind why the Heart gets heavy but you can be sure the Enemy is behind it all. He comes to rob, kill, and destroy and he works 24/7 to devour whoever and whatever he can. Sometimes we wake up with a heavy Heart that was been “worked on” while we slept, and sometimes a heavy Heart creeps in as we go about our day when we allow our Focus to shift from God Almighty to ourselves…and it takes over before you even realize it. A “Heart problem” can rock the boat in every area of Life, so it’s not something to ignore when it shows up. It’s as if we’re suddenly blinded to all the Beauty around us and we forget to count our Blessings, and before we know it…we’re feeling blue. But the Beauty and the Blessings never disappear AND it always comes down to a “Heart problem” when we fail to look for them. Sometimes it’s so easy to turn to other people and blame them for why we’ve lost our Joy, or we blame our circumstances for our downcast Hearts. BUT NO ONE AND NOTHING HAS THE POWER TO ROB US OF OUR JOY. That’s something we willingly surrender instead…when we focus MORE on ourselves than we do on God Almighty. Sometimes we even wish life away and hope for a “new day” as if time is the culprit and as if in time our feelings will change. But the new day WILL BE just like the old day if we don’t address the “Heart problem” with the only Heart Healer ever known to mankind.

I’ve addressed the “Heart problem” that showed up at my door this morning like an unwelcome thief looking to rob, kill, and destroy, and my Heart Specialist set me on my road to recovery all over again. Just like any other heart specialist, I had to take the time and make the effort to GO TO Him for Therapy. My Heart Specialist is always with me and He always looks out for me, but He doesn’t do “house calls”. Instead, He looks for ME TO TURN to Him and He looks for me to DESIRE to be in unison with His will for my Life, and when I do, I get a good dose of Spiritual Medicine, and Healing kicks in. And before I can say “Amen” my heart is 100% all over again.

How about you?

Good morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. When I met with the Living God on this last day of January, I confessed to Him that I was already weary of the Winter and that I was already longing for Spring. I confessed to Him that sometimes my Soul is downcast over something as trivial as the weather. I whined a little about needing to see the beauty of His Creation in living color…the brown replaced with green, and the cold replaced with warmth. And right in the middle of my whine session before a Mighty God – when He had every right to take me to the Spiritual Woodshed of the ungrateful – He spun the most beautiful Reminder to me instead and He taught me a Lesson like only a Father can. At this very second there are countless miracles and endless details taking place in the “background” to prepare for all those things I’m longing for…every single detail of my Life (and the world around me) is already in place by His Hand and my Future is already Written even though I can’t see or feel it yet. Now THAT’S something to celebrate on a gloomy-looking winter day!

It can be so easy to want to rush things along sometimes and it’s even easier to whine about things that we have absolutely no control over if we’re not careful. But the same God who plants the seed of life in a frozen ground to prepare it to sprout in the Spring is the God who already has all of the Details of my life Planned out too! The same God who plants the seed of Life in the womb of a woman is the same God who already knows all of the Details of that new life AND He knows the final Destiny even before we know to take a pregnancy test. Life doesn’t exist by accident and it doesn’t thrive by fate. Whether that life is a tree, a bug, or a precious child…the Living God Created it ALL and He makes no mistakes. Every single intricate Detail of everything in our world was Designed, and will be forever Managed, by the Hand of a Mighty God. What does the God of Wonder think of His children when we find something OR someone to whine about while surrounded by the Majesty of the One who scattered the stars in the sky and Knows them each by name? “What is man that You are mindful of him?” It’s only when we dig below the surface of our selfishness that we learn to die to ourselves and exchange whining for Celebrating a Future we can’t even see yet. This is the Key to Faith.

As surely as I know that Spring will come again soon, I know the Plans He has for me too, even though I can’t see all the Details unfolded yet. I am confident that the daffodils will sprout from the ground one day soon, and I’m confident that I’ll be sitting in the sun in no time at all. I know the trees will bud when the leaves are ready to fill the branches, and I know I’ll see the offspring of nature all around the farm in just a matter of weeks. I am Confident that He knew Precisely when I would be born into this world, and He knows precisely when I’ll leave it. He already knew that I would Love Him and that I’d be a Willing Servant through this Journey of Faith…AND He knew how to Mold me into His Vessel to be used for Eternal things. He already Knows each time I’ll falter and every time I’ve failed, and He already Knows I’ll shout out my Victory Story for all the world to hear after He sees me through the Trial. Every single Detail of my Life is already in the Works. So, how can I NOT Celebrate what God has in store for me even though I can’t see or feel it yet?

How about you?

Good morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. I’ve been feeling a little like I’m wandering around in the desert lately for some reason, so I approached the Throne of a Mighty God and searched for the reasons why. Sometimes when we’re “in the desert” it comes from our own doing, but sometimes God “steps back” a little and He leaves us there for Reasons of His own too. Either way, I don’t like it in the desert and I’m willing to do whatever it takes to get out. The first thing on the list is to search my own Heart to be sure it’s in Good Condition, and if I find anything there that needs to be confessed…I’ll confess it! If I don’t find anything in my Heart on my own, I’ll ask Him to reveal it to me. After I’ve done my part, I wait for God to do His…He won’t stop at just seeing me through the desert…He’ll reveal the reason for it too…IF I examine my Heart, confess my wrongs, and then Trust that He has a Plan. Isn’t that the way you cope with the desert too?

It can be so easy to run to God with every question (and demand answers when we do) – but God doesn’t need to explain Himself, and no matter how hard we try we’ll NEVER understand His ways completely. The Lord declares “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways” so it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to try to figure out what He’s up to! We never need to worry about His Part…His Part will always be Perfect. What we really need to worry about is OUR part…and for most people that’s the hardest part of all. Time in the desert isn’t always self-inflicted, but most of the time it is. Usually, there is something hidden away in the Heart that needs to be Refined, and nothing works (for me) like being in the desert to get my attention. So, when I find myself in the desert, I don’t panic. I don’t demand answers and I don’t point fingers. Instead, I take care of my part to be sure I’m not the reason for being in the desert….and then I patiently wait for my Marching Orders to find my way out. It’s lonely in the desert…I don’t like it there. But there’s one thing that helps me endure – I know for sure that what’s on the other side of the desert is something so beautiful that I could NEVER have come up with on my own. This is the Key to Growing the way God wants to Grow us sometimes.

I can see why so many people are inclined to demand that God explain Himself when things are quiet because that’s the way most people live. When someone goes quiet in our world, we begin demanding answers. We want to know what’s wrong with them. We want to know what their problem is for being in the desert and we let them know we don’t like it and that it’s time to come out. But how many people pause to examine their OWN heart and their OWN behavior that just might be the cause for the desert BEFORE they attack the quiet one for being there. The first step in any relationship is to examine your own heart before you start in on somebody else’s. Once you are at peace that your own heart, intentions, and attitude are in order and you are CERTAIN you have nothing to ask forgiveness for yourself, THEN it’s time to turn to them. But since most people don’t like being in the desert any more than I do, they demand answers from God and everybody else INSTEAD of turning within. It doesn’t take a “doormat” to look within first….it takes a Warrior to do that… and it’s not a job for wussies. But when we’re willing to look within to be SURE that the Heart is in order BEFORE we turn to God or anybody else, there is something so beautiful on the other side that we never could have come up with on our own. This is the Key to Maturity…in and out of our Faith.

I’ve done my Part to work my way out of the desert and I found a few things that I needed to reconcile with God….that’s what Humility looks like – the kind of Humility that grows our Faith and Refines our Character. I don’t like it in the desert but I am absolutely certain that what I see on the other side will be so Beautiful that my time in the desert will have been well worth it. He has a Plan…He’s Refining me with a little Fire…and I’m Trusting Him with me.

How about you?

“As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts”