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?

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?

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?

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?