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There’s No Mistaking Who I Stand For!

/ www.LivingLarger.life

Good morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. The cold morning air is forcing me to spend most of my time with the Living God inside these days, but I never lose a chance to take in the glory of the morning, even for just a little while, from the front porch. For years, this porch was graced with hanging plants, but when I grew tired of being held hostage by birds nesting in them, I replaced them with flags. So, now, this old porch is graced with four flags, each representing something I stand for. As I sat before God this morning and looked at those flags, I considered what I stand for and wondered if what I Stand for is as easy for the world to see as those flags are. It doesn’t matter much if people look at these four flags and they don’t “get” what they represent to me…but it matters a WHOLE lot if people look at my Life and they don’t see what I stand for or Who I Represent. Isn’t that something that you consider, too?

It’s so easy for us to look at the outer edges of a person and draw our own conclusions about what they stand for just by what we see on the outside. Sometimes people attempt to put the world on notice about what they stand for by placing bumper stickers on their cars or by wearing a cross around their neck. Sometimes those things are intended to be gentle (and silent) reminders, and sometimes those things are intended to provoke. Just like the flags hanging on this front porch, if people don’t “get” what they represent, they merely serve as decoration. Sometimes people attempt to make their mark on the world by tattooing their bodies or piercing their skin in unimaginable ways. But just like the flags hanging on the front porch, if people don’t “get” what they represent, they merely serve as body art. There is no end to what can be done in our attempt to put the world on notice about what we represent, but what we stand for takes a whole lot more than flying a flag over our lives. What we stand for takes Action words and Relationships to be seen by the world.

I have a crazy sense of humor (thanks to my Dad) and I’ve had a roller coaster life for sure, so IF I never spoke up about what I Stand for, the world may see me as just someone fun to be around and someone with lots of good stories to tell. But nobody has to be in my presence for long before they see AND hear about what I Stand for and Who I Represent. Some may perceive me as being ONLY interested in fun things and funny things because of my personality, but they’d be wrong about that! With just one opportunity to change my Tune to comfort a suffering soul, or to speak Words of Wisdom from God, and what I Stand for and Who I Represent is front and center. Some could believe that I can find humor in anything…and there’s a lot of truth to that…and they might hesitate to share their pain with me for fear of my laughing at them. BUT with just a few words about my Life Journey and all of the pain I’ve endured in His Name, they open up like a blooming flower with no fear of judgment from me. I don’t rely on bumper stickers on my car or a cross around my neck to make a Statement to the world about what I Stand for; I live it, I breathe it, and I speak it. What I Stand for is a part of me, and taking Action with Words and Relationships is as natural to me as breathing.

Waving my Faith around for all the world to see has come at a high price, but that’s okay. The One I Stand for warned me that they “will hate you because of Me”. Make no mistake, they don’t hate the silence; they hate hearing the Name of Jesus Christ boldly Proclaimed as I wave my Faith around for all the world to see. He died for me, the least I can do is Live for Him, amen?

I like to think of myself as being a little like those flags on the front porch. Bright and colorful, resilient, able to withstand the winds, flexible, bold, and forever making a Statement for the world to see. You’ll NEVER find me being a SILENT Representation of what I Stand for or Who I Represent, and you won’t find me relying on some outward “sign” to make a Statement on my behalf. I’m a child of the Living God…I’m Royalty…I’m Unstoppable…I’m Victorious…I’m Redeemed…and there is never a doubt about what I Stand for or Who I Represent.

I Love Him…I Live for Him…I Serve Him…and it shows.

How about you?

Be Like The Oak Tree…

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Good morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. I woke up the way I always do…filled with Gratitude for another day to Serve the Author and Perfector of my Faith. Living is one thing…living with Purpose is an entirely different story altogether, so I have Purpose in mind this morning. The Fall season has officially set in, and every day looks different from the one before, as nature heads toward winter. As I sat there looking at the sun illuminating the color of this old oak tree, the tree reminded me of my Life. The old oak may be a few hundred years older than I am, but we have a lot in common. We’re both standing tall and strong after many years of being upright, and we both have very deep roots. We’re both changing as the season comes to an end, and neither one of us knows precisely when we’ll succumb. We’ve both been through the storms and lived to “tell about it,” and neither of us gave in under pressure. We’re both pretty colorful when the Time is right, and we both have grown where we were planted by the hand of God. We’ve both endured, no matter how hard the wind blew year after year. We’ve both shed some branches when it was time to let them go, and we’ve both gotten stronger because of it. We both show some wear and tear from the journey, but we just keep getting more beautiful over time. I’m pretty sure the old oak won’t cry when I lose my journey on this earth, but I’m sure I’ll cry for the old oak if it surrenders its life before I do. This beautiful old tree made me think about Life and how each one of our days is different than the last as we head toward the “winter” too. Yesterday becomes a memory, and tomorrow becomes a dream. Today is all we really have to work with and our greatest opportunity to Live, to Serve, to Share, and to Love. Isn’t that the way you look at the new day, too?

We could all learn from the old oak tree that focuses on nothing more than digging deeper roots and reaching for the Son day after day. Unfortunately, it seems to be so easy for people to live in the past or in the future while they squander away TODAY. Some are “stuck” in the past, while others are so focused on the future that they forget about the blessings of NOW. When you think about it, today really IS like “the first day of the rest of your life,” and today is all we have any control over whatsoever. We can’t change what we did or didn’t do yesterday, and since tomorrow is promised to no one, all the things we dream of for tomorrow should be focused on today. If there is any Unfinished Business, like asking for forgiveness or making our peace, leftover from yesterday, today is the day to make it right. If there is an unspoken “I love you” or a word of encouragement that could change the course of another, today is the day to speak it. If there is anyone in our world who has never heard the Good News of Jesus Christ, today is the day to Share it. If there is anything within us that holds us back from all the things the Living God has for us, today is the day to move forward in His Name. There’s no end to the things that should be reconciled on a new day, and there is seemingly no end to the putting off. Yesterday is only a memory now, and tomorrow is only a dream. Living TODAY is the Key to an Abundant Life in all the ways that matter.

Some people have a “near-death” experience that puts things in perspective for them…at least for a little while. But every day is a near-death day for all of us because tomorrow is promised to no one, AND YET, we have so little regard for the frailty of life that we’ll put off the important things as if we have all the time in the world. When you look at it that way, how can any of us dare to squander even one day? There is a past that needs to stay in the past and a future to dream about. The Bible says “Without a vision the people perish” and that “hope deferred makes the heart sick”, so, looking forward with longing is a good thing for the Heart and Soul. It’s when we linger in thoughts of tomorrow while squandering away today that we stand the chance of NOT living long enough to see what the Heart has been longing for all along. Yesterday is a memory, and tomorrow is only a dream. Living TODAY is the Key to living Life to the fullest in all the ways that matter.

I’ve been on top of the mountain and deep in the valley and every place in between…but my past is now in the past where it belongs. The only piece of the past that has any Value for today is the Wisdom I gained in the Process. The “bad” has been Forgiven, and the Trials have become my Testimony, which is Shared with the world today with Purpose. I have Dreams for my future, and I take steps to fulfill them every day, BUT my future isn’t here yet, so I Focus on Today just like the old oak tree does. Today will be the most spectacular day in the history of me, and I’ll continue to be like the old oak tree – standing tall and with roots that grow deeper every day.

This day will be filled with Gratitude and countless surprises straight from the Throne of a Mighty God. The past has become but a memory, and the future is only a dream, but I have TODAY to do Good in His Name, and I can’t imagine a better way to spend any day Allotted to me.

How about you?

Savor or Squander? It’s a Choice.

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Good morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. It’s not possible to see a mediocre sunrise or sunset, ESPECIALLY in the Fall of the year in Virginia, and I’m savoring each one as if it’s the last one I’ll ever see. I don’t have a morbid obsession with death, nor am I counting down the days I have left, but I am acutely aware of the frailty of life, and I refuse to waste any of it at all. I’ve always been one to savor life, and I’ve never been one to lose precious moments that other people might dismiss. If only I had a dollar for every time someone commented on my time on the front porch and how “boring” it must be. But that’s because they look for entertainment, and all I seek is God. Watching the Master wake up the world is the very best kind of Entertainment there is, but because I Savor Life and I Worship the King of the mornings. The older I get, and the closer I draw to the Living God, the more beautiful Life around me becomes, and the more I want to savor ALL of it with ALL of me. Isn’t that the way it is for you, too?

It can be so easy to take Life for granted if we aren’t careful. We fail to look up (or to get up) to capture a sunrise and, more often than not, something on television replaces the sunset. We roll out of bed and scurry off to begin the new day, and most of the time we don’t think twice about being physically able to do so. We throw the kids in the backseat and rush off to wherever it is we need to be, and most of the time, a TV monitor in the back seat or a cell phone conversation in the front seat replaces those sweet little voices that can only be heard when we listen out for them. Family mealtime has become a thing of the past. Instead of sharing a meal together at the same table at the same time, one is texting, one is watching television, and the opportunity to hear about what’s going on in the life of the other is lost forever.

I don’t want to wake up one day and wonder what happened with my life, and I don’t want to squander my time. I don’t want to trade good conversations and belly laughs for television, and I don’t want to miss out on all of those precious little moments that come when you anticipate them. I anticipate great things because I Serve a Great God, and I Treasure the beauty because it’s all a Gift from Him, AND because I am acutely aware of the frailty of life. I savored my children, and I’m savoring my grandchildren because I Know what a Gift from God they are, and because of that, they WILL NEVER be replaced with my own entertainment.

I can only try to imagine what Heaven is going to be like, but I anticipate going there, too. With an earth filled with beauty that is impossible for me to capture in pictures or describe with words, Heaven is going to blow my mind. When I get to Heaven, I’ll be busy doing the Work that He’s been preparing for me to do all along, but when I get there, time will stand still. I’ll be there forever with all my loved ones who are/were Believers in Jesus Christ, too. I guess it’s possible for some people to be content with the idea that they’ll go to Heaven and spend Eternity on the sidelines…but NOT ME. I know that if I Savor what He has for me here, and I Work with His Plans and His Purpose in mind…if I work out my “salvation with fear and trembling” then I won’t be on the Sidelines…I’ll just be doing a Heavenly version of His Work intended just for me. With that in mind, who in the world would take Life for granted or be willing to squander their time?

This new day was beautiful when it first began, and it will be beautiful until it ends, too. I’ll leave the squandering up to all the ones who don’t “get it”. Unfortunately, their squandering will lead to a life filled with regrets…something I’ve spent a Lifetime trying to avoid altogether. No doubt I’ll savor all that I possibly can on every day the Lord gives me, and you won’t find me squandering even a minute. Instead, you’ll find me ANTICIPATING Great things. When you look for Great things from God, you find them every time!

How about you?

Gratitude in the Simple Things…

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Good morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. My porch time has been cut short lately because of the heat wave, and I’ve been hungering for my early morning Meeting with the King of all kings outside. A thunderstorm passed through last night, bringing cooler temperatures, so this morning, I crawled out of bed as the sun was rising, and when I stepped outside and onto the porch, it was as if I was seeing it for the very first time. That’s what Gratitude looks like. No matter where I go or what I see in this journey called Life, nothing beats time with just me and my God at sunrise from this front porch. It’s there where I find my Solitude and my Peace. It’s there where I Receive my Greatest Lessons. It’s there where I bask in His glory. It’s there where I shed my tears. It’s there where I reckon my wrongs. It’s there where I sing praises to Him. A front porch…a beautiful sunrise…a willing woman…and a Mighty God – could there be a more perfect combination? Sometimes it’s the simplest things that have the utmost impact on me. Isn’t that the way it is with you too?

There is so much to see and so much to do in this journey through life, and sometimes people have wondered why I don’t see and do more. I’m adventurous…I’m inquisitive…and I love to learn and love. But of all the things I’ve seen and all the places I’ve gone, the simple things bring me the most pleasure in life. I can be more entertained by sharing a cup of coffee on the porch with a friend or ministering to a suffering soul than I could ever be by visiting any other place in the entire world. I’d much rather look into a set of eyes than see any other sight there is to see. I’d rather tune in to the voice of someone I love (or of someone God sends my way to love) than hear any concert by any artist in the world. I’d rather belly laugh on the front porch with my family or friends than visit any comedy club on the planet. I’d rather wipe away the salty tears of someone else than tip my toes in the salt water of any of the oceans in the world. I’d rather discuss History from the point of Creation and ponder my God than visit any museum of history or art or any place else in the world. My Life isn’t as simple as it is Rich, and from where I sit, everything is beautiful to me because I savor this Journey of Life. BUT my Joy could leave as quickly as it came, IF ever I allow my life to become dull.

I’m not exactly sure how this new day will unfold, but I won’t be idle, and it won’t be “boring.” One thing I DO know for sure is that my day will be Shared with others…some of them my family, and some of them my friends, and some of them I’ll see for the very first time, and that each one will be certain of how Special they are to me. I’ll probably tune into a sermon spoken by someone Called to Speak it, and I’ll hear a few words of Wisdom along the way. It’s going to be another long day at the farm, and I’ll be making the most of every minute. You won’t find me looking for fun or striving to be entertained. You won’t find me whining about being bored or disappointed over something that wasn’t “fun” or people who weren’t my cup of tea. Instead, you’ll find me walking through this day with Excitement no matter who or what comes along, because I know that this day and everything in it has been Ordained by the Living God and that His Plans for me on this new day beat anything else I could ever have added to my own agenda. He’s a God of Perfection, and He’s the Master of my Life, and as long as I keep Him in First Position, every “simple” little thing will always have a huge impact, and those “simple” little things will always cause my heart to overflow with Gratitude and Joy.

My life is filled with simple things, but there’s nothing simple about my Life on or off the front porch of this old farm. I see my Life as an Adventure and my steps as a Journey, and I want to be sure that I savor the “simple” things until I draw my last breath because it’s the simple things about me that mean the most to Him.

How about you?

Philippians 4:11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

Are You Focusing on the Ugly?

/ www.LivingLarger.life

Good morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. The air is cold and it still feels a little like winter in the morning, but the farm is looking more like spring every day. You’d think after all these years I’d get tired of the view from the front porch but that’s never going to happen because when I look across the fields of this old farm what I see is God. Who could ever get tired of looking at God? Wildlife is a WAY of life around here and watching nature respond to what God provides is an incredible site to see….day after day. The deer never seem to be in much of a hurry until they sense danger, but the birds are an entirely different story. To me, the birds always look frantic as they dart from here to there looking for food and they don’t ever seem to rest – at least not for long. As I considered my wildlife view this morning it reminded me of the Journey of Faith. Some people of Faith are like the deer – satisfied to “graze” on whatever satisfies the flesh and they don’t seem to have a care in the world about anything UNLESS danger shows up. Then there are people like me. We’re like the birds of the air…so focused on the fields full of lost people within our reach that we refuse to rest until our Job here on earth is done. Which one are you?

There is no such thing as a perfect view in Life no matter where we sit. My view from the front porch has changed dramatically over the years as farmers sold out to developers and cows were traded for houses. I see the ugliest cell tower you could ever imagine off in the distance that has recently doubled in size. It serves as a reminder to me of how man doesn’t care about the view at all when there are so many two-legged “creatures” to please. Instead of the pitch dark I used to enjoy (where the only light came from lightning bugs), I see lights on in houses across the fields and I see party lights that never turn off. I’ve seen things built that I don’t understand and I’ve seen what it looks like when property values decline because of it. All the things I just described are the ugly things within my view that could so easily destroy the beauty IF I allow the devil to rob me and I stop seeing God in it all. There’s enough ugliness in the world to sink a fleet of ships, and for the life of me, I don’t understand how professed Christians could spend so much time obsessing over the ugly that they’ve lost sight of fields full of lost souls and people destined for Hell. How can they spend so much time wishing harm on the very ones who were also “made in His image”? I guess they either don’t understand why they were Created in the first place, OR they don’t really Know the Living God at all. Sad but true. With Him, focusing on the Beauty is everything and it’s the Focus on Beauty that compels us to share Beauty with the ugly all the day of our lives!

I’m just an imperfect woman living an imperfect life with an imperfect view from my perfect front porch in Virginia. The ugly I can see could so easily rob me IF I allowed myself to stop seeing God in it all. I want to be like the birds – “franticly” trying to reach as many as I can while there is still breath in my body. I exist solely by the Will of my Perfect God. I have a Perfect Future in store for me with a Perfect View that “no eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind even comprehend what He has in store” for me. I am Forgiven and Redeemed by the blood of my Perfect Savior. When I focus on these things the ugly disappears and is replaced by indescribably Beauty every single time. Ugly? What ugly?

What is it going to be for you? Will you focus on the ugly and forget about the lost OR will you “frantically” focus on the feast of lost souls right before your eyes while there’s still breath in your body?

A Different Day…But The Same Heart Still…

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Good morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. I met with the Living God before the sun came up and I gave thanks for a warm dwelling on this cold day; a luxury many others don’t have. It’s 9 degrees this morning and the ice on the trees and the fields won’t be melting any time soon even though the sun is bright and beautiful. The temperature of the sun never changes, but even it can’t melt the ice if the atmosphere around the ice remains cold. As I stood there admiring the beauty of the icy limbs and the blazing sun, the Lord spoke to my Heart with a reminder of how this is what life will look like as we draw closer to the End. The Light of God will always be there and His “temperature” never changes…but there will always be icy ones that refuse to be melted no matter how Bright the Light of His Love shines. What an Amazing God to speak to my Heart through the icy limbs on a cold day.

It’s a dark world riddled with turmoil as the Spiritual war rages in the heavens. The more the Light of God shines, the icier the world becomes as the limbs relentlessly fight to remain just where they are with no interest in being warmed by the Son whatsoever. Sometimes when the Warmth seeps through even just a little, the icy ones fight even harder for their “right” to remain where they are. Jesus said “they will hate you because of me” and that’s true – but it’s not until we Shine the Light to Warm things up do we Understand just what Jesus meant by that. Fear of being hated will often silence Carriers of the Warmth so the ice keeps clinging to the trees like never before. All it ever takes for ice to melt is for the atmosphere around it to warm up, and when that happens the ice is powerless. I dream about what the icy world would look like if more Carriers of the Warmth were willing to Shine despite the hate they’d experience if they did. The “temperature” of the Living God never changes and He has the Power over all…BUT His people are commanded to Share the Warmth so we can change the atmosphere of the ice, and yet so many refuse to be hated because of Him.

The icy conditions don’t exist just because of the lost ones, they exist because of some Proclaiming to Know Jesus Christ too. There are lots of enemies in the Camp and they freeze over often when they hear things they don’t like or they choose to spread hate over Love. Sometimes they talk about Warmth, but the icy condition of their heart is what the world really sees, and the enemy rejoices to see one of God’s Warmth Carriers spitting out ice instead. We talk a lot about Revival but that’s a “be careful what you wish for” kind of thing. When Revival begins, the ice will rage even more than it does today, and those Willing to Share the Warmth of the Son will be hated like never before. The Good News is that One Day the Son will show Himself to the world again, and when He does, all the icy ones will melt at His feet and confess that He is Lord too. Now that’s a Good Dose of Warmth the icy ones need to hear and it’s what the Warmth Carriers share despite the hate we experience when we do.

God used a simple image of ice clinging to the limbs to ignite my Heart this morning. I’m Armed and Ready to Carry the Warmth of the Son to everyone, everywhere, despite what it might “cost” me. I experience more hate than most people can imagine but that only Propels me to Share more when I do. The Atmosphere around me is so warm that the icy ones feel it by what I say and how I Live. There’s absolutely nothing the icy ones can do to harm me but the harder they try, the harder I Work to be the best Carrier of Warmth I can possibly be. He died for me…I Live for Him. You can’t go wrong when you look at the Journey called Life what way!

How about you?