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Are you being heard or seen?

Have you ever been sitting alone and your thoughts are going out of control. Then you wonder if anyone sees or hears your heart. Your thoughts and the way you see things? Have we all been so torn with the events in the world today, that we don’t even recognize yourself? I am sitting here on a cloudy day looking out my widow and trying to find Truth. It seems to have evaded us in these last days. I look back on my life and ask if all the things I have been told are true, all things I have looked into and thought I found the truth. All the people I thought were my friends, but only to find out that they would leave in a heartbeat if I don’t agree with the way they think or live. ” A friend is closer than a brother”. I have heard that this is 100% pure, I have heard that I trust you, I have heard that you matter. I have heard your vote counts. What you think is important.

Because we have been told if you don’t have anything good to say don’t say it. Well what if the truth is not really good for some, do we not say it? I don’t like conflict, I don’t ever want to hurt someone. I don’t want to be the naysayer…all these things we have heard. Well some of us have been silent too long. Some of us have been too vocal and burned the ears we have been trying to reach. Where is that point of impact? When do you know to speak or not to speak.

I have met so many different people in my life. They all have different religious beliefs, different relaxing ways, different eating habits, different cultures, just different. Some are still in my life and some are not. I asked God the other day, why was this person in my life. I am not sure I really heard an answer. Here is what I believe, they are in for a season. Either you needed them or they needed you.

There is a movie that says, ” you can’t handle the truth”. I think that is true in some cases. None of us want to have that knock on the door, telling us that one of our loved ones has been in an accident or has died. None of us want to hear that we just lost our job and we are the only one bringing in an income for our family. None want to hear the “C” word. There are lots of things that are true that we really just don’t want to hear. So do we remain silent? Do we “blend” in? When I said earlier the “C” word, your mind went to Cancer, but what about Compromise?

I can no longer blend in, I have to speak the truth. You don’t want to hear it? Close your ears and your heart. The Truth is Jesus died for us that we would not be lost, have eternal life with him. He has unconditional love, BUT he calls us to serve him and him alone. He is a jealous God. He wants us to follow the things in the Bible that will set us free. You see it’s not a buffet at Golden Corral that you get to pick and choose what you want to take. You have to take the WHOLE Word of God. There is no comprise, if it says Do not murder, you do not murder. If it says you do not steal, you do not steal. If it says you do not lie, You do not lie. If it says do not commit adultery, do not commit adultery. I could go on, but you get the point. So who says what constitutes murder. You take a life, PERIOD. your own, someone else’s, it does not matter. Yes that means that unborn conceived child!!

I don’t want to be not seen and not heard. I want to make a difference in this life. I want families not to be hurt with a child who got involved in drugs, a parent who committed adultery and broke the trust of a loved one. I want to make sure you know you matter. Yes YOU, God created you, he has a purpose for you. You are here or a purpose and it is not to be a doormat, just exist. It was meant to help others, it was meant to bring a smile to your neighbor who can’t get out because of COVID, it was meant to touch your parents hand even if they can’t remember who you are.

Be heard, make a difference, spread God’s love and joy that HE might be seen. Not the ugliness in this world as we see it now. Not the hate and the anger. Yes I have had all those emotions, but I know that it will KILL me from the inside out. He said, Go tell the World that I love them, that I have a plan for them, that I came to be light and expel the darkness.

Go forth.

Listening!

Do you need help listening?

I am sitting here in my office and I hear so many sounds. Since I live in the city, it is noisy city sounds. If I were to live in the country, it might be nature sounds. What if we could block all the distractions and noises out? What would that sound like?

I have a 3 year old great grandson that doesn’t sleep well. I listen for him and don’t sleep deeply. I have trained my mind to hear that sound, that noise, that. cry.

I am working on a new listening. I want to hear what God says to me, about me. I want to his his voice and direction. I have not trained my ear to hear consistently. I have not trained my ear to hear only that voice. Instead I hear the voice of guilt of the things I may have said or done or felt yesterday. I hear the I should have done more. I hear that voice that says this is your mess you created it. Now I am asking myself to sit 5 minutes and listen for God. I know he talks to me. He talked to men in the Old Testament. Then, while Jesus walked this earth, he spoke to men and women directly. Now I have the Holy Spirit that allows me to listen for the voice of God directly talking to me. Yes I can hear from others, but I want to hear directly from God, no middle person.

I drink water so I know I am hydrated. I take deep breaths to ensure my mind is free of toxic air. :). I then sit and wait. Do you know how hard it is to sit 5 minutes and wait? Have you ever been in a Dr.’s office just waiting to be called? Do you look at your watch every 5 minutes, I do. So imagine me just sitting here in my office all alone for 5 minutes in complete silence. I purposely tune out the noise of the city outside my windows. I purposely tune out any sound in my home and wait.

It’s refreshing, it’s cleansing, it’s amazing. Lets just say you don’t think God will talk to you. Could you take 5 minutes for yourself? Let your thoughts drift away from your to-do list and the worries of the day or night. Just 5 minutes in peace, silence, all to yourself. Try it, I would love to. hear your feedback.

By the way, we don’t listen enough to our children. We also don’t listen enough to our spouses and our family. Our minds are always on the go. Stop and just listen.

Overcoming Darkness: God’s Presence in Isolation

I was just searching YouTube for some old songs that kept coming to my mind, like The King Is Coming, I’m feeling mighty fine..I found them and then a song came up I haven’t heard in years. “Where No One Stands Alone”. Is there such a place? Do you ever feel all alone and no one and I mean no one is there? If you have, you have been in a very dark place. There is a difference between being alone and feeling ALL ALONE. Like if you died, no one would call 911 to find you, we wouldn’t put the Tracker on your scent. You feel as if life goes on for everyone whether you are here or not.

I asked earlier is there such a place where NO ONE stands alone. Yes there is a place. It’s a place you go and you live when Christ is walking with you. You may not see him, you may not feel him at times…but He is always there with you.

When you kid gets diagnosed with Leukemia, when your husband calls and says he will not be coming home anymore, when your best friend was in a bad car accident and dies, when you have little ones at home and no food in your house and you hear them saying, Mommy I am hungry, my tummy hurts. Yes God is with you. You are not standing alone.

How can I say this? There have been many times in my life that I have felt this way and asked God to take me home. One time in my life I even tried to help him take me home. You see he was right there and I didn’t even know it, I was so in a dark place. I couldn’t see the hand he was holding out to me, I couldn’t hear his voice call me saying I am here let me hug you, for I was all in my own head and a dark dark voice was telling me I was alone and no one cared and life would never get better. I listened to that voice, it wasn’t even a subtle voice, it spoke loudly. No one cares, no one would think you’re important enough to help you, God doesn’t care, why would you be in this mess if he did. However, I had a praying mom. I didn’t live near her, I didn’t even really speak to her at that time in my life, but she knew I needed God and I needed him NOW. You may not know that someone is praying for you, but God has put that person in your life for such a time as this.

There is a place where NO ONE stands alone. You are not alone. I am praying for you, God is watching over you. Push those thoughts out of your head, push push push. Keep fighting, keep hoping, keep on reading the Word of God, keep on asking. God is listening! You are not alone. Here is my prayer for you to ask God, Take my hand, let me stand, where no one stands alone. Let me know when he does, because I know he will.

A Model Parent?

Have you ever wondered what your role as a parent was?  I grew up with a mom who couldn’t wait for us to grow up and be friends instead of being mom and daughter. She didn’t like being a mom, because she took her job very seriously as a mom.  She felt that she was to be our educator.  It was her role to make sure we were educated, and I don’t necessarily mean book educated.  She thought it was her role to teach us everything and no one else’s responsibility. 

I hear parents at school telling me that the school puts a lot of responsibility on us as parents to make sure they can read and write.  They say isn’t that their responsibility?  Isn’t that why we send them to school?  Yes we do send them to school for their education.  However, is it not OUR child, we are co-teaching our children.  We complain when we find out they are being taught in something we don’t agree with.  So where does that balance lie?  You are the one who is to model and teach them.  Remember the saying monkey see monkey do?  I have seen that over and over in little ones.  However, it’s really something we continue to do through out our lives. 

IF we want our children to have certain knowledge, certain manners, certain beliefs, it is our responsibility to teach them.  Does that mean that we have a classroom in our home?  NO that means we model what we are trying to instill in our children.  

My daughter came out the other night with PINK play dough under her eyes.  I busted out laughing.  Do you know why I laughed?  She was doing what she had seen myself do with Mary Kay eye patches.  She just made her own.  Now did I sit down and explain to her how this will help her eyes, her skin and how to do it?  NO, she SAW me doing it and followed my lead. 

The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 10:31, So whether you eat or drink or whatever your do do it all for the glory of God.  Then in Chapter 11:1 it says, Follow my example as I follow the example of Christ.  I hear the song in my head, be carful little ears what you hear, be careful little eyes what you see and it goes on.  Yes we are models. 

What are you modeling for your family, friends, coworkers, or boss? Someone is watching you, someone is going to model your example.  Are we perfect? NO, will be make mistakes?  Yes we will make mistakes, but we should learn from those and keep working towards following Christ examples. 

Watch the Children

Have you ever just sat and watched a child? They amaze me with their creativity, their trust, what makes them laugh, cry and even fear. I was walking with my 14 month great grandson through the house. I don’t really need a light on to walk through my house. However, this little one walked on his own, with a “little” light to lead the path. When the room got extremely dark, he reached up and held my hand. When it got light again, he let go of my hand. I feel like we are like that with God. God said he would never leave us, nor forsake us. Yet when it gets a little light, we don’t “need” his hand…

At The Expense of the Children

What do you choose at the expense of your or someone else’s child? You choose to always be angry? You choose to always want more things? You choose to ignore them? You choose what lens they look through to see life is. They don’t get to choose what lens they get, you do.

Just this past week I have seen so many post about things that effect children. As an adult I don’t think we think about what we do effects the little ones as much as it does. Today I saw something that just broke my heart. I saw a post about not giving your luggage to Goodwill, make it available to a foster child. They are often asked to pack their personal items in a trash bag. Can you imagine telling a child that everything you have in the world that means something to you needs to be put in something we use to store trash? You know life is not something that comes wrapped in a pretty box, with a BIG bow on it. Most of the time it feels like we are being handed a trash bag. You can put a bow on top of the trash bag, but it is STILL a trash bag. Why do we do that to our children. They are the future of this country. I read something today in the Bible in Joshua 24:27 NLT27 Joshua said to all the people, “This stone has heard everything the Lord said to us. It will be a witness to testify against you if you go back on your word to God.” When I read this, I thought to myself a stone will be a witness…well our children are a witness of everything they have heard. We need to stop treating children as if they are so little it doesn’t matter. My 5 year old always says this: “When I get bigger”. you see she thinks as she gets bigger she can do the things I do. Is she right? Of course she is right, she can do what I do. Is that a good or a bad thing? I have to ask you why does this generation not know the things that God has done? We have not told them or SHOWN them. You see I SAW the power of God hit people and change their lives. Literally, legs have grown, drunks no longer can stand the taste of alcohol, smokers can’t stand the smell or taste of it. Our children only know what we tell them, or allow them to see and hear. When they get older they can choose for themselves what they want to learn. However what do we have to help us remember what God has done, or what a mighty country this was, how we FOUGHT for freedom. How we used to pray before every meal, thanking God we had food on our table and in our bellies.

If we treat our children like trash, we ourselves will become a country of trash bags. We will not matter to others, we will smell of rot and will be discarded.

I see my great grandson TAKE MY HAND and want to follow me everywhere. I want to take him to places that will enrich him, teach him about God, teach him that he matters, teach him that he is loved, teach him that I will protect him NO MATTER WHAT.

God wants us to give him our hand and let him lead us. We just have to reach up and give it to him. God will whisper in your ear, follow me and I will give you LIFE. Follow me and I will protect you, I will love you, I will make you feel safe.

Our children need to know they are here for a purpose and It is not for us to torment them, abandon them, write them off. You see from birth, they want to know someone cares enough not to throw them into the trash.

Generational

We will not hide these truths from our children, we will tell the next generation the glorious deeds of the Lord, about his power and his mighty wonders

Do you believe that things are passed down from one generation to the next to the next to the next and so on? Do you believe you can change those things that are passed down through our genes or our customs? Do you believe that God’s Word says from generation to generation.

As I look at my hands, sometimes they look like my fathers, sometimes they look like my mothers. If I look at my children’s hands, they do not look like mine, but they resemble their father’s hands.

I have a picture of 5 generations with my oldest daughter and if I look at those in the picture it doesn’t tell me what will be passed down and what won’t. However, if I look at my children, their children, and their children, YES I have great grandchildren. I can see at times different things from their mothers and fathers, from my side of the family, from my husbands side and so on.

God’s Word says there are curses and blessings. Why do we always look at the curses and not pray for the blessings? You see when my father would talk about his passing he just KNEW that he was going to die suffocating. He just KNEW that he was going to die like one of his relatives. However, he had a stroke and died peacefully 3 months later, I always say he died of a broken heart. So no he did not die from COPD.

Sometimes we say to our children you are just like your father and we don’t mean it in a good way. I have found in my darkest moments going to the bad thoughts of my genes, but you know we are new creatures in Christ. Maybe you have a person in your family that just had a knack for making money. They could take something that someone had thrown away because that person had thought it was garbage and your relative turned it into a profit. My grandmother worked hard as a woman of 7 children and always made sure that the “drunks, loners, those less fortunate” had a place to sleep and a blanket to keep them warm. She owned much when she died, but I believe her heart was more full when she passed than her pocketbook might have shown. That gene got passed down in my family. I want to look at that and not my relatives that had a negative impact on them or others.

As I see what our world is showing my great grandchildren, I cry. Life may not be an easy road, but the road that leads to salvation is the path we should pray for. We sometimes want our children to take the easy path and that will lead to destruction. We should be teaching them the path to LIFE.

My mother was a powerful prayer warrior. She was like a dog with a bone once she had a “word” from God about a person. She would not stop praying until God’s perfect will was done and that person’s life was changed. I am challenging you today to start asking God for a word for the generations of your family. What word is he giving you, what scripture is he saying STAND on this, what word are you to give THEM.

I want my children to know how to pray for their children and the friends of their children. Learn to pass that on, not pass on the baggage that we each carry. Let’s teach the next generations how to PRAISE God even in the storm how to trust his Word and the promises he has given. EVEN if we don’t see it before we die. Let’s teach our children how to pray, seek God’s Word, want a life of freedom though God’s Word and being on their knees.

Just think if we could turn a family around and change the path meant for destruction to a path of walking with Christ. What would this nation look like? What would other nations look like? We have been taught to believe that the generational things can not be stopped, but I am here to tell you that Alcoholism, violence, addictions, rebellion, spiritual deadness does NOT have to be passed on. We can pass on prayer, faith, joy, purpose, love, spiritual growth, unity, forgiveness, deliverance. What the enemy has meant for evil ( the destruction of our families) God will turn around for GOOD.

Has The War Lasted Longer Than Expected?

I was sitting and watching Return to Neverland, Peter Pan with my 4 year old. As I was listening to the very beginning of the story, I heard myself say YES. I was in a conversation with someone last night and they made a statement that I could relate to and I am sure you can. She is tired, she is emotionally, physically and mentally TIRED. It’s gone on for too long. I think we have all been there at one time, but it seems there are more and more that are saying, the War has gone on longer than expected and I am tired and I am worn.

As I read my Bible in Hosea 5 this morning, it said Sound the alarm…Blow the trumpet…Raise the battle cry…Lead on into battle…When I read that verse, I said Lord, I am tired of the battles, I am tired of the war, I am tired of hearing the alarm ringing. What did Jane in Peter Pan do when she heard the sirens overhead? She ran for shelter, she ran home, she ran to the bomb shelters. She was still sad, she was still missing her dad, but she was sheltered. I am going to stop here. There is so much to tell about this and I will tell that another time.

As I read Hosea and I had those thoughts, I could have stayed there, in my depression, my anxiety, my fear, my tiredness. However, today I went on to read in Joel 2 it says Blow the rams horn…, Announce a time of fasting, Call the people together. I would ask that we all come together and encourage one another and yes for a lot of us the battle has gone on longer than expected, but guess what…..is coming.

Joel 2 ALSO tells me that the Lord says, I will give you back what you lost to the swarming locusts, the hopping locusts, the stripping locusts, and the cutting locusts…

This is hope in your future, there is promise in your future. Find someone who is a little further in their battle, their victory and let them pour into you. Then also find someone in your circle who is not as far in their battle and looking for some hope that this too will be a thing of the past and show them your testimony, your healing, your faith to stand and know that God is the one on the throne.

If you have no one in your circle, come join my circle, we all have battle scars, but I want to see the hope of today in you!

Do You Hear What I Hear

Wow and Wow,

I am sitting here reading my Bible and I opened to Luke 18:27 that says He replied, “What is impossible for people is possible with God.”  and I am reminded I was here yesterday. I remember reading about the rich man that would not sell everything he had to follow Jesus…as I am looking out my window…other thoughts are racing through..

Do any of you have children, grandchildren, great grandchildren or even a husband or wife who is not saved. You think they don’t hear, you think maybe it will never be…well, pray that their ears, eyes will be opened and they will think as little children.  You see I have a little one that sits in service and hears the music we sing…we go home and she sings it all week and I mean she knows the words and sings.   Then my mind heard God say, come to me as little children…then I went back to reading my Bible and GUESS where I was…

Luke 18: 15 -17 NLT says this:

One day some parents brought their little children to Jesus so he could touch and bless them. But when the disciples saw this, they scolded the parents for bothering him.  THEN Jesus called for the children and said to the disciples, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are LIKE these children. I tell you the truth, ANYONE who doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it. 

It was a confirmation to me that we need to pray that our family has the spirit of a little child, they absorb so much, just by listening and watching…we need to be careful what we allow others to see and hear from each of us.

Why a blog?

I am retired and a mom of 3, 6 grandchildren and a wife to my husband for 45 years.

I grew up in the church and during an exciting time in our history. I saw lives changed and miracles. Now go ahead 45 years and I began to wonder if it was all a dream or if those things still existed.

I worked a job for 30 years and one day was walked out the back door. I have had many trials as a mom, wife, grandma and finally a great grandma. I turned my back on God early in my marriage and went through some ugly things. I had a praying mom and God gave me back some things I had lost. However, I never realized I was still hurt inside. It didn’t really hit me until my father died and a few short months later I was walked out the back door at my 30 year job. I was grieving and had been for 30+ years.

Now know this. God always had me, I didn’t always have God. I have seen and been through a lot of hurt and grief. I have friends who have lost a child to a senseless shooting. I have had drugs and alcohol destroy things that mattered the most to me. I have this little cloud of gloom over me.

Then I started looking for my JOY back. I started looking for my laughter to return. You see I had returned to God just a couple of years after I walked away. I knew in my heart God was the answer. I will tell you I saw God work in lives and heal people. I saw marriages put back together. I felt the presence of God, I heard his voice in my ear. Yet some of the things I longed and prayed for never seemed to be answered for me. I could pray over people and I could speak life over them, yet I seemed to always see what I didn’t have, what prayers were not answered. One friend called me the crying prophet Jeremiah. I am and have been known for my weeping. Yet I wanted to be known for JOY.

So why this blog? Because I believe there are lots of people out there who see others get their joy, their children made whole, their friends marriages made whole and they have done all they know to do and God still is quiet.

If that is you, let’s take this journey together. Because you see I TRULY believe the Bible and I believe every word of it. I believe that when God said ALL things are possible for those who believe, He was talking about me. If he was talking about me, He was also talking about YOU.

Are you ready? Let’s get started.