Good morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. I finally broke myself away from my Meeting with the Living God after basking in the glory of the new day He’s given to me. I don’t always live at full throttle, sometimes I slow down and do next to nothing too. No matter what, you’ll never find me squandering a day, and you won’t catch me overlooking the Gift of Life…ever. When I open my eyes each morning, I’m not just grateful to still be around, I’m Grateful because I know that I’m still here for a Purpose much Bigger than myself, and all I can think is, WOW…I wonder what He has for me today? It’s Understanding the Purpose that makes everything else make sense, and it’s Embracing the Purpose that brings Peace, Joy, AND excitement to all who Believe. Isn’t that the way you see your Journey of Life too?

It can be so easy to take our time on this earth for granted if we aren’t careful, and it’s easy to get caught up in the living (and the dying) and overlook the Meaning of it all when we do. It’s easy for most to rush out of bed and off to work, through a commute, and into the office without ever pausing to give thanks for the very breath running through their body that enables them to work in the first place! It can be so easy to punch the clock and whine about the work conditions or the boss or someone down the hall, without ever pausing to consider what life would be like without the blessing of payday. It can be so easy to get caught up in the shuffle to get kids out the door and off to school without ever pausing to give thanks to the One who knit them together in their mother’s womb. It can be so easy to look around at our house or our cars and to take pride in our own accomplishments without ever pausing to consider the One who “gives us the ability to produce wealth” or how fortunate we are that He puts the roof over our heads and allows us to occupy the space. It can be so easy to take good health for granted and to somehow believe that we’re invincible because of it, without ever pausing to marvel at the Designer or to give Thanks to Him for the Divine Design itself. Overlooking all the Blessings of each new day can’t be attributed solely to a hectic life…it can also be attributed to arrogance that stems from convincing ourselves that we deserve all that we have and that we can take credit for the good as if we’ve earned it. Maybe it takes experiencing life circumstances changing in the blink of an eye…the loss of our health or our wealth or death that divides us…to ever pause long enough to consider the Source. Why is it that most people can only pause to give thanks when it’s too late to turn back the clock?

Being a person of Faith is an all-or-nothing deal. We’re either all in OR we’re ALL OUT. That’s a tough pill for some people to swallow because arrogance prompts them to attempt to rewrite the Terms at their own discretion…but God doesn’t work that way. He wants to be Acknowledged before men all the time. He wants to be Acknowledged for the good things, and He wants to be Acknowledged through the not-so-good too. He wants us to Acknowledge His Hand in everything…every day. He’s the God that “gives and takes away,” and He’s not okay with us taking credit for the good and then blaming Him for the bad. He numbers our days and He has a Plan for each one, so when we wake up in the morning the first thing SHOULD be to consider what He has in Mind for us to Accomplish on this New Day. His Word says, “there is nothing better for a person under the sun than to eat and drink and be merry” but that doesn’t mean that each new day won’t have “enough trouble of its own” or that when the trouble strikes we should start shaking our fist at God for not “performing” according to our standards. What it REALLY means is that when we find our Contentment in the enjoyment of Life itself “THEN joy will accompany them in their toil all the days of the life God has given them under the sun.” Genuine Contentment can only come if we Trust Him with all the details. Genuine Contentment can only come when we understand our Purpose. Genuine Contentment can only come when we Believe that He has Great Plans for every day He breathes life into us. Genuine Contentment can only be possible when we pause to give thanks and we begin each new day with Excitement and Acknowledgement…and Gratitude.

This new day won’t be perfect…it’s just Perfectly Designed. I won’t be a “perfect” woman of God…but I’ll Serve the One who is. I don’t anticipate bad things…I savor the Good and I make sure I Acknowledge the God who “gives and takes away” because I know how quickly my life can change, AND because I’m so Grateful for all that He is and all that He does for me.

I paused this morning, and I’ll pause a few more times throughout this beautiful New Day…NEVER wasting a day or overlooking the Gift of Life.

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 in this Journey called Life, and if I want to be sure that I’m Prepared for whatever the Lord has for me today, I need to begin with Him. So, I sat in His Presence, I gave thanks for who He is and what He does for me, I poured out my Heart, I confessed my sins, and I sang a few songs of praise in my Heart. When I opened my eyes to take in the beauty around me one more time, I saw that the sun shining through the leaves on this very full tree, and it left light on the ground where it managed to break through. I could see some big breakthroughs and some little breakthroughs, and the sun beat down on this tree as if to illuminate each breakthrough. The breakthroughs in Life come by way of the Light too, and everything we need to grow and bear fruit is found in the Living Word. The Author and Perfecter of our Faith is ready to “light it up”too anytime we desire to be Taught. Isn’t it just like God to use His own sun to drive home a message to me this morning?

Most people in this world are content just to be average, but I’m not one of them. It was never enough for me to be an average worker at the office…I put in the effort to be the BEST, and I was rewarded with the fruit of my Labor. It wasn’t enough for me to be an average Mom…I put in the work to be the BEST I could be for my Treasures, and I Know that the fruit of my Labor will last for generations to come. I did not labor in vain. As a child of the Living God…hand-picked to be one of His own…I want ALL that God has for me. I see warning signs all over His Word about what the future looks like for those who are just along for the ride – content to sit on the sidelines – so I make sure that’s not what the Future looks like for me. I pour Him into me and before you know it, He pours right back out of me…I BEAR FRUIT. I have no interest in the sidelines – I want to be on the Frontline, so I put in the work to make sure that my Heart is Ready and that my Life is bearing Fruit. The Journey of Faith is “evidenced” by good fruit being born day in and day out. If there is no fruit, that’s a pretty good indicator of someone content to just go along for the ride…and the Future isn’t nearly as bright for them as they think it is.

When a tree stops bearing fruit, the grower gets busy trying to figure out what went wrong. The grower has a lot invested in each tree, and he will never be content with a tree that’s not bearing fruit. Most of the time, the tree stopped producing because it was somehow malnourished, lacking the nutrients it needed to have the strength to bear fruit at all. Once the grower takes the steps to give the tree the nourishment it desperately needs to be a good bearer of fruit, the tree will become part of the land of the living again. If it never bears fruit again, it is removed so that it doesn’t take away from the rest of the orchard. A dead tree has no purpose whatsoever. It’s too bad we don’t look at the Journey of Faith the way a farmer looks at a tree. If we notice a tree isn’t bearing fruit, we should do everything in our power to give the “tree” what it needs to Mature so that it can bear fruit. After that, if there is no fruit naturally coming forth from the tree that has been Given everything it needs to Grow, it’s safe to assume it’s dead, and it’s time to plant seeds all over again. What’s true for nature is True for the Journey of Faith…if there is no fruit, there is no sign of Life.

I Nourish my Faith with the Living God the same way a farmer nourishes his crops. My Life depends on Him, and I have no future without Him, so He is the center of my world, and I refuse to be content or to labor in vain. I give the Living God the First and the Best of me because I LOVE Him more than anyone or anything else – as a result, my Life bears fruit. There isn’t anything “average” about my Journey of Faith, and you won’t find me on the sidelines hoping for a Future with Him…you’ll find me Living out the Purpose He created just for me instead. Besides, with so many seemingly dead trees out there, there is plenty of work for me to do in His Name. I want everybody to Know who I know and to have what I have, and I want the world overflowing with beautiful Fruit that will someday be Transplanted to Heaven. What I have isn’t rocket science, and it can’t be intellectualized even though plenty of people try to do just that. All it ever really takes to bear the Best Fruit FOREVER is the Right seed, and Proper Nourishment all the days of your Life.

Are YOU bearing Good Fruit? If not, we need to talk!

Good morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. It was cool, and a little on the dreary side, the first thing this morning – or at least I wasn’t able to feel the warmth of the sun on my face the way I love to feel it this time of year – and at first I was disappointed. When I looked around, I realized that I’m the only living creature at the farm that seems to be bothered by a cool, dreary morning. The deer stumbled out of their hiding place and went on to graze in the fields, and the birds were singing the same tune as they do on a clear and sunny day. When I took my childish attitude before the Throne of the God of all Creation, and I turned to my Instruction Manual to search for Wisdom for this new day, He kept pointing me to Words that emphasized the need to “grow up.” The message came across Loud and Clear, and I felt ashamed for having even one selfish thought about something as simple as the sun not shining on my face! So I got taken to the Spiritual Woodshed this morning with a little Lesson on Maturity, and I’m looking at the gloomy sky with clear Vision now, giving thanks for the cool air and the clouds that were shielding the sun this morning. Isn’t that the way God deals with your immaturity, too?

There’s a good side of “never growing up” that I wish everybody had – it’s that place where excitement can flow through the soul over the tiniest little thing. It’s that place where saying “Look at God!” becomes a “routine” thing because God can be seen in all things. Like a child on a Christmas morning, the ones who refuse to “grow up” look at the world with rose-colored glasses – with a Heart expecting nothing but Good. It’s that kind of attitude that enjoys the moment, and the one that never misses out on an opportunity to laugh at life. I like that part of “never growing up,” and I think the world needs more people like that. But there’s another kind of “never growing up” that thwarts the growth of the Heart, the Soul, and every relationship we encounter, and it always will when we refuse to Grow up. There are conflicts within marriages, families, and with friends that all stem from the refusal to grow up. Each one wants what they want when they want it, and each one kicks and stomps like a child when they don’t get their way. They spit out hurtful words like children on a playground, and they’re too centered on themselves to care about what their words do to someone else. It takes Maturity to step back from conflict, and it takes a little “growing up” to admit wrong and to ask for forgiveness. Sadly, many people refuse to “grow up,” and they’ll trade their Peace and Joy all because they’re content with the Heart and attitude of a child. Spiritual Maturity is the Key to Contentment.

There’s another kind of “never growing up” that prevents us from knowing the Fulfillment of God. It’s not enough to know Who He is, and it’s not enough to Read His Words…at some point, we need to Plant the Seeds of what we Learn so that we can move from being a “child” into a “grown-up” Christian. Some people of Faith turn to other people of Faith, and they wonder how they got where they are. Some are jealous, and some are envious, and some spend an entire Lifetime saying “why not me?” while they sit in the Spiritual playground refusing to Grow up. These people whine about what God’s doing or not doing in their Lives, and they’ll compare where they are with where the others are, like they’ve somehow been left out. They’ll say “I don’t know what God wants” or “I don’t know why I’m here,” but they’re like children refusing to grow up – and they never seem to move past their disappointment, all because they’re Spiritual children stuck in an adult body. All they really need to do to Grow up is to be willing to Plant the Seed of what they’ve Learned, and to Nurture the Seeds of their Faith to help it Grow. But they refuse because, like a child, they don’t volunteer for the hard stuff…they’d rather wallow in the playground instead.

Mature Christians have the Desire to Grow up, and they’ll do whatever it takes to get there. They understand that it takes Hard Work to Nurture that tiny little Seed to help it grow into Maturity, and they’re willing to Work hard for it every day. They move from a place of wanting what they want when they want it, and they understand the Value of Words. They learn to Sacrifice in His Name, and they learn to Equip themselves for the Journey. Mature Christians are always hungering for more of Him because they Understand how Sweet the Fruit is that is picked from a Mature tree. Mature Christians learn not to focus solely on head knowledge because they’ve come to realize that God cares a whole lot more about the Heart than he does the head, and they understand the importance of Application over IQ. Mature Christians “never get enough” of the Heart Lessons that lead to Spiritual Growth, and they find their Joy and their Peace by applying what they Learn. Mature Christians have found their Humility…the Key to Spiritual Maturity.

In many ways, I refuse to grow up because I like looking at the world through the eyes of a child, and I enjoy laughing at myself (and the world around me) well beyond what most people do. I’m inquisitive and LOVE to figure out how (and why) things work, and, like a child with a zillion questions, I can easily drive someone crazy in the process. But it’s that side of me that compels me to want to Know more about the people around me, and if I can understand what makes them “tick”, then I can easily Present Jesus Christ to them as their Solution for all things. When you look at it that way, seeing Life through the eyes of a child isn’t such a bad thing after all.

I began this new day with the attitude of a spoiled brat, but He set me Straight because I SOUGHT HIM the way a Mature Christian does. When it comes to being a Grown-up Christian, I’m determined to put in the Work that it takes to Grow the Seed of my Faith into Maturity. It’s through the Maturity that God can use me, and it’s through the Maturity that I find my Fulfillment. I’m surrounded by Love, and Peace, and Joy, and Contentment, and Treasures ALL BECAUSE I’m putting in the Work it takes to be a Grown-up Christian every single day.

How about you?

1 Corinthians 13:11 – When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me.

Good morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. It’s the morning after a major storm passed through our area, and although we were warned about “severe weather” and a “high risk of tornadoes” throughout the night, I slept like a baby, and I awoke with no fear of damage I might see. Last night I prayed over this old farm the same as I always do, but I asked the Living God for an extra measure of Protection from the storm. So, when I woke up this morning, I wasn’t at all surprised to find everything in perfect order because I prayed with Belief AND Anticipation of the results even before I could see them with my eyes. I’m not sure why some people waste their breath on prayers if they don’t actually believe that God hears them…or better yet, that He will do anything about it. My God is Able. My God is still on the Throne. The God who parted the sea to deliver His people KNOWS MY NAME, and when I call out to Him, He hears me. Isn’t that the way you see the Living God too?

I can’t say for sure how many times in a given day I say “Look at God!” or I whisper (or shout the name of Jesus, but it’s a lot. I see God in everything, and I call upon His Name through everything. So, when I pray, and “hallowed be thy name” is my first order of Business, I KNOW HE is pleased. I don’t approach Him with a “to-do” list of things I need Him to take care of – He already Knows! I don’t need to spell out every detail of my life circumstances to a God who is already in tomorrow – He already Knows! I don’t need to tell God about a threatening storm because He’s the Creator of that very storm and He already Knows its path. Even though God is already in tomorrow and He Knows the course of any storm, it pleases Him to have His children ASK, that’s for sure. But I have to believe it pleases Him even more when we Trust Him with the outcome and we sleep like a baby despite the warnings of the world. My God is Able. My God is still on the Throne. The God who parted the sea to deliver His people KNOWS MY NAME, and when I call out to Him, He hears me.

I recently shared a video of a person being miraculously healed by God in a faraway land, and most of the feedback I received was filled with doubt and unbelief – “It’s fake!” – “The Spiritual Gifts were only for the Apostles”- you name it, I heard it from the scoffers the Bible warns us about. I was called “naive” and “deceived” for even believing in a supernatural healing, as if my God is no longer able to do Supernatural things. I’m not surprised by their reaction to seeing a healing because they have God in a box and they are intent on keeping Him there, not because the Bible tells them to, but because their denomination has defined the box. They see because they don’t Believe! As for me, I ANTICIPATE the Hand of God and I’m sure not going to doubt it with I see it. I’ve seen physical healing. I’ve been an eyewitness to Spiritual healing. The Lord has done a Mighty Work in my Life, in the old barn that supernaturally became our church, in my family, in my finances…you name it! For all the ones having trouble believing in the Supernatural Works of a Mighty God, all they need to do is look at my Life and Listen to my Testimony! Do I believe in Miracles? I should…I AM ONE! My God is Able. My God is still on the Throne. The God who parted the sea to deliver His people KNOWS MY NAME, and when I call out to Him, He hears me.

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 I’ve Surrendered my plans over to the One who gave them to me in the first place, and NOW my Heart is Ready for whatever comes my way. I know that the ONLY reason I exist this very moment – the ONLY reason I’m still breathing – is that I have a Job to do in Jesus’ name, so I begin and end each day on a Serious Note. I had a little Work to do on my Heart this morning to Ready myself as the Warrior I know He Intends for me to be, and it’s definitely worth the Spiritual time and effort I put in to get there. Otherwise, I’d be inclined to wander around all day, focusing only on the low-hanging fruit or what’s right before my very eyes (just like this deer), and I’d miss out on the Blessings that come when I reach for the Heavens instead. God has Big Plans for my Life, and I intend to be ready for Him whenever He’s ready for me. The One Who scattered the stars in the sky and knows them each by name is the Same One who knit me together in my mother’s womb at His intended Time. So, from where I sit, He’s a Big God with Big Plans for me, and I’m doing everything in my power to be sure that I don’t miss out on what He has for me by focusing on the easy Way. Isn’t that the way it’s supposed to be?

Some people graze their way through their entire life just like the deer in this photo, and they often question what happened to all of the years because of it. Like Rip Van Winkle, they wake up one day in a start, they’re surprised at how fast the years have slipped by without them. These “sleepers” are usually content just to graze through the Journey of Faith, the low-hanging fruit – the easy way out – focusing only on their next bite, and they’re satisfied as long as nothing bad happens today. These people mostly “keep to themselves” and avoid getting involved in anything beyond their own fields. They refuse to reach higher than they believe is necessary, and they’ll enter the gates of Heaven (maybe) by the skin of their teeth because of it. Outside of a major catastrophe, nothing much excites these people, and they typically spend time with just their own tribe without a care or concern about Life beyond that. They see all “outsiders” as a threat to the space, so they refuse to let others into their very small world. Sadly, these people will pass through this Life without experiencing true joy and peace, and they’ll fail to fulfill their Purpose…the Purpose that can only be found outside of the walls of our comfort when we reach for the Heavens.

I can’t think of anything sadder than to end the days of my Life never having reached for the Heavens. I can’t imagine “settling” only for those obvious morsels in Life with absolutely no Desire to reach beyond what I can see with their eyes. It’s not easy for any of us to move beyond the comfort of our own field, but finding the way is the Key to our true Purpose in life, and finding the strength comes from Faith in the Living God. It’s through our Faith that Love grows, and through Love we find our motivation. This is the Key to finishing the race, and finishing it well.

I’m a child of the Living God, and I’m Living like it. I’m Royalty, and it shows in all I do in His Name. I Trust in things I can’t see with my eyes, and I’m depending on the God of all Creation to take care of me every step of the way. I acknowledge Him in all my ways and He directs my steps, so you won’t find me focused only on what is right before my very eyes – you’ll find me reaching for the Heavens and believing in Miracles instead. I’m facing this day as a NEW day with a BIG purpose, and I’ve Readied myself for it as if this will be the very last day I have in this Journey called Life.

How about you?