Perplexed in Advent

    

   What would it have been like, 9 months pregnant, bouncing on the back of a donkey for days, only to find there was nowhere to lay your head, not to mention give birth? Or for Joseph, charged with protecting the Savior of the World, as well as His human mother, and yet at a total loss for how to do so? We know the rest of the story. They didn’t. “No worries, Joseph,” we say. “Help is on the way!” [“What are you afraid of, Moses? That sea is going to stand up and separate any second now!”] But they could only stand still, trusting and waiting for deliverance. And that is precisely what they awaited….in fact what we all awaited in this birth.

   You and I may at this very moment have worries, disappointments, griefs, fears, or frustrations swirling through our heads. Yet It never ceases to stop me short in Advent…..never ceases to put circumstances, disappointments, joys, longings, thanksgivings, mistakes, and concerns of all kinds in the perspective of eternity. Not just ‘the sweet by and by’ of someday in heaven, but now’s eternity. That is where our true Shalom lies………entrusted to the Trustworthy One, the one and only Three-in-One. Knowing He knows the end of every story and has already prepared an Abigail for us. Wise men are already heading our way with provision. Seas are ready to stand up at His command.. He’s about to give angelic direction for our protection. All we need do is listen, receive, and obey.. Though we may be clueless about how things will play out, our ABBA is not. Trusting Him goes hand-in-hand with doing what we best understand of His will for us at the moment. Our ‘faith of a child’ warms His heart.

   I am fond of the following passage from one of my favorite Max Lucado books, In the Grip of Grace: 

“Stepping from the throne, he removed his robe of light and wrapped himself in skin: pigmented, human skin. The light of the universe entered a dark, wet womb. He whom angels worship nestled himself in the placenta of a peasant, was birthed into a cold night, and then slept on cow’s hay.

Mary didn’t know whether to give him milk or give him praise, but she gave him both since he was, as near as she could figure, hungry and holy. Joseph didn’t know whether to call him Junior or Father. But in the end he called him Jesus, since that’s what the angel had said and since he didn’t have the faintest idea what to name a God he could cradle in his arms . .” .

*****

“For only a God could create a plan this mad. Only a Creator beyond the fence of logic could offer such a gift of love. What man can’t do, God does. So, when it comes to goodies and candy, cherub cheeks and red noses, go to the North Pole. But when it comes to eternity, forgiveness, purpose, and truth, go to the manger. Kneel with the shepherds. Worship the God who dared to do what man dared not dream. “

——-And the Angels Were Silent, Max Lucado

 ***

“This isn’t the way I planned it, God. Not at all. My child being born in a stable? This isn’t the way I thought it would be. A cave with sheep and donkeys, hay and straw? My wife giving birth with only the stars to hear her pain? This isn’t at all what I imagined. No, I imagined family. I imagined grandmothers. I imagined neighbors clustered outside the door and friends standing at my side. I imagined the house erupting with the first cry of the infant. Slaps on the back. Loud laughter. Jubilation. That’s how I thought it would be. The midwife would hand me my child, and all the people would applaud. Mary would rest and we would celebrate. All of Nazareth would celebrate. But now. Now look. Nazareth is five days’ journey away. And here we are in a . . . in a sheep pasture. Who will celebrate with us? The sheep? The shepherds? The stars? This doesn’t seem right. What kind of husband am I? I provide no midwife to aid my wife. No bed to rest her back. Her pillow is a blanket from my donkey. My house for her is a shed of hay and straw. The smell is bad, the animals are loud. Why, I even smell like a shepherd myself. Did I miss something? Did I, God?     

—Max Lucado, Cure for the Common Life and He Still Moves Stones  

***

“I could not comprehend God’s plan, but my understanding was not essential. My obedience was.” —-Gabriel, from An Angel’s Story; Max Lucado

***

“…why would you say, “Yahweh isn’t paying attention to my situation. He has lost all interest in what happens to me.?” Isaiah 40: 27

“…Yahweh….is never puzzled over what to do! He empowers the feeble and infuses the powerless with increasing strength” Ibid  29

***

May the rest of your Advent season be a tender, obedient, and trusting one.

Julie

Breath of Heaven:  

https://youtu.be/TOQRtYYERGo?si=wUd_DdOS3PGth-On

Mary, Did You Know?   https://youtu.be/trW_lD9sBt0?si=JpDYwYHdpEF6jABg

Keep Swimming

   

   Remember Dorie from “Finding Nemo”? Such a loveable fish. The older I get, the more I am identifying with her short term memory issues. God brought her to mind this morning as He spoke to me about being free from anxiety in my daily life. 

   My sisters and I are sometimes attacked by what psychologists call “free-floating anxiety.” We all know the definition of anxiety in general, but with this type, there is no reason to be anxious, no circumstance in particular causing concern. There is just this sense that there is something wrong, that we are not doing all we should be doing, that we aren’t keeping up with needs or necessities somewhere, somehow. It’s almost as if we are reaching out and searching for what we should be concerned about.

   This, of course, is the exact opposite of how our Father wants us to live. He knows us inside out…our struggles, our vulnerabilities, our hearts’ desires. He longs for us to live in the Shalom of the abundant life He suffered and died for us to have. Anxiety, worry, and fretfulness are not part of His plan for us.

   Lately, in my retired state, I have become aware of my underlying concern that I am spending my life the way He wants me to. Am I wasting the gift of time He has given me? Am I fulfilling the destiny and meeting the divine appointments He has planned for me? Am I leaving untapped some of the. gifts He placed in me before I was born?  Are there people whose lives He wants me to touch that I am too lazy or too uncomfortable to pursue? Will He speak over me when I come Home to Him, “Well done, good and faithful servant”? Sometimes I feel like Dorie that I need to “just keep swimming,” but maybe even harder.

   He knows my heart and those of all His children. He is merciful and forgiving and full of lovingkindness. This I know. That is the very reason I want to please Him by the way I live my life. This morning, because He always reads my heart, He told me (as best I can record: “I love you. Don’t fret. I will show you (and remind you ha ha^) what to do. Flow in the river of My grace. You don’t need to do laps. Settle into My grace and float on your back. I will keep you buoyant. Your head will not go under water. It is panic and anxiety that can lead to drowning.”

   Have you ever felt that you were “not enough”? Are you, too, sometimes attacked by “free-floating” anxiety or awash in the sense that you aren’t doing enough, that you must keep swimming harder to please others…or, more, importantly, your Heavenly Father? 

   Turn over on your back and float in His grace. Keep your ear attuned to Him. He won’t allow your head to go under water. You will find the true Shalom of His abundant life. There, floating peacefully on your back, look up.

*********

• Here is one of my drawings for God from my journal from 2020. No fair making fun of my ‘art.’  

• For out of His fullness [the superabundance of His grace and truth] we have all received grace upon grace [spiritual blessing upon spiritual blessing, favor upon favor, and gift heaped upon gift].  —John 1:16 AMP
• 
  
• Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb —Revelation 22:1

• Ezekiel 47 also describes the river flowing from under the throne of God

• “To “drink deeply” of the Spirit is the same as receiving his power and gifts until rivers of living water flow from the inside of us. See John 3:34; 7:37.” —Brian Simmons, TPT note from 1. Corinthians p-12-13
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• ^I have difficulty, sometimes, recording the chuckle or outright laughter I hear from Him. He is also a great punster. (To remind ‘Dorie’ is worth a guffaw.)
  

When it’s good to be the thief

  

    I know we have moved past Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter and are now heading for the celebration of Jesus’s ascension. Alleluia! However, this morning I was reading in Deuteronomy 25 about the punishment of flogging and its maximum of 40 strikes (later limited to 39 in practice because it could cause a person’s death). A sentence was to follow a just decision regarding a person's innocence or guilt, as well as the extent of his wickedness. We believers know that Jesus was entirely innocent yet received OUR maximum sentence out of His incomprehensibly great love for us, ‘while we were yet sinners.”*

   What struck me this morning, however, (no pun intended) as I was visualizing all aspects of the horror Jesus endured for me, beginning even before his maximum flogging with metal attached to cords, was what was said to him by one of the two thieves hung next to him. I’ve known this dialogue since I was a young child and through the years have focused on Jesus’ words, “Today” you shall be with me in paradise.”** This morning, however, flashing before me were the words, “Remember me when you come into your kingdom,” I suddenly wondered, “How did the thief know Jesus was King of a kingdom not of this world?” NO one else truly seemed to. Even Peter, who had declared Him the Messiah, didn’t really get it. The disciples were hiding in grief and fear, not expecting Him to appear to them at any moment. Mary of Magdala and the other women were focused on caring for His precious body, which they assumed was still in the tomb or somewhere nearby. Who but the man known only as the thief truly believed Jesus would arise after His death as King over the Cosmos? Seeing Jesus in anguish and torment just as he was, this man still believed Yeshua was Lord of heaven and earth. Even if he perhaps did not grasp the full implication of that truth, he knew Jesus had the power, despite how things appeared, to save him after his body succumbed to death (something for which I’m sure he, in his own agony, then longed). 

   Everyone else at the scene (or hiding from it) seemed without hope, all their expectations dashed, with only images of a slow, agonizing death still before their eyes. Many who had waved palm branches before Him as Messiah, now thought, “I guess he wasn’t the one after all.” They were not visualizing a victorious kingdom much greater than any earthly one. They were seeing^ suffering, loss, disappointment, dejection, and devastating sorrow. Or in the case of those who wanted Jesus dead, a sense of satisfaction and success in the deed finally being accomplished. 

   Accomplished it was, but not as they thought. It was the King’s Gambit***, with ADONAI declaring to them (and, more importantly, to Satan):   “Checkmate, you lose!!”

  Maybe I am just very slow on the uptake, but I found the sudden realization astounding that only the thief appeared to truly get this. Ahhh….ADONAI, when You say that we become New Creations when we put our whole trust in Your grace and love, it is not just a metaphor of hope. It is a manifested reality for those who believe that You are the one and only Savior God of forgiveness and second chances. You Are the Resurrection and the Life for those of us who grasp our total dependence on Your Goodness and Mercy. When we repent and trust in You, we are no longer stuck in Groundhog Days of repeated sin and consequent sentences of flogging and Second Death. Nor are we sentenced to misery in this life. We are freed to live the abundant shalom-filled life You desire for us. We are no longer named The Thief. We have a new appellation, “Beloved,” as well as one uniquely given to us by The Father.****

   Although we have the advantage of hindsight, unlike the man who called out to Yeshua that day in faith, we believe though we haven’t seen Him, and we are blessed.*****

   We are The Thief. He has caught the hand we reached out to Him, drawn us into His outstretched arms, and declared, “Welcome Home, Beloved!” 

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* But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.— Romans 5:8 

**Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”—-Luke 23:43

*** In effect a bold, long range trap which causes one’s opponent to have confidence he is winning, only to suddenly discover he has lost

**** “Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give that person a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it.” Revelation 2:17

***** “Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”  —John 20:29

^”He will not judge by what his eyes see or decide by what his ears hear.” —Isaiah 11: 3

When it’s ok to be gluttonous

      

   Recently a friend recommended a devotional entitled The Names of God, a rich, slow dive into Who He is.* This week’s Name was Artos Zoes, The Bread of Life. As I read through the various familiar passages in which Jesus refers to Himself in this way, I was suddenly struck by the thought that this is the one time that gluttony is not only recommended, but encouraged! It also symbolizes a paradoxical situation in which the more you eat, the hungrier you become. 

   I am greatlY blessed to be retired now, having an abundance of time to truly settle in to soak both in the Scriptures and in the Holy Spirit. Abba referred to it the other day as soul and spirit hydration. However, I also remember working full time while trying to be a wife and good parent to three wonderful children. It was a lot more difficult then to carve out time to ‘soak in Holy Spirit’s tub’. Yet the Lord honored my desire with His grace, even though the time was certainly shorter.

   In the Temple, the Bread of the Presence served to remind the Israelites of ADONAI’s provision for them, that He was ADONAI Shemah/Shammah….the God Who is Here…much like His name Immanu-El, God-With-us. We can feast on His Presence with is, experience His Holy Spirit near, around, and within us. In our typical 2025 existence, however, we have to be intentional in seeking after this sustenance. 

   Many of us (especially in my age bracket) struggle with our weight. It seems we are constantly battling the desire to eat things (and amounts) we shouldn’t…or sometimes even eating modestly yet still seeing fat seemingly glued onto our bodies. When I was young and small for my age, my parents and grandmother would encourage me to ‘eat….eat!’. I didn’t have much interest in food and would just wait to survive and escape meal times. Now I say to myself, “Oh for the days!”  Now I struggle to disassociate myself from the lure of (unhealthy) food. I never met a donut I didn’t like. I can pass up many forms of candy**, but don’t set down a box of Dunkin’s (or a freshly made loaf of bread) in front of me. 

   This morning, as I was reading about Yeshua as Artos Zoes, I saw a vivid image of The Feast our Abba has set before us, which He encourages us, like an Italian grandmother, to “Eat! Eat! Put some flesh, I mean Spirit, on those bones! Eat and enjoy and grow! But always remain hungry for more….never be fully satisfied. ‘Further up and further in!’ as My son Clive once penned. Feast on Me and be greatly blessed, yet always desire more. Here, gluttony is good!” 

   As we steward our bodies with healthy foods, let’s steward our souls and spirits by running joyfully to the Father’s Feast of His true Bread from Heaven. Let’s soak up His Presence and devour the nutrients with which He enriches those willing to search deeper. Those hungry for more satisfying understanding, insight, and knowledge of His character and His truth…those who will take the time, over other activities, to pursue His scavenger hunts and discover the treats He has hidden for us. Treasure awaits If we ‘choose to accept this mission (not) impossible,’ As does our delight in seeing the gleam in our Abba’s eye as He says’ “Well done! On to the next! Farther up and further in! More feasts await! Eat! Eat!”

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*The Names of God, written by Ann Spangler (May 2023)

**except maybe caramel M&Ms Jelly Bellies, and Molasses Mint Chews

***So many Scriptures of note, but begin with John 6

“Teach me more about you, how you work and how you move, so that I can walk onward in your truth until everything within me brings honor to your name. 12With all my heart and passion I will thank you, my God! I will give glory to your name, always and forever!  —Psalm 86: 11-12

“He humbled you, allowing you to become hungry, and then fed you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had ever known, to make you understand that a person does not live on food alone but on everything that comes from the mouth of ADONAI.” —Deuteronomy 8:3

Birthday bicycle

     

   Imagine your dad giving you a beautiful bicycle for your birthday. Its shiny splendor thrilled you. You couldn’t wait to take it for a spin around the neighborhood. But then a boy who lived around the corner spied you riding it, and rather than appearing awestruck, he was rather condescending about it. He told you about an even more beautiful bike available to you and implied your dad was really holding out on you when he gave you this one. All you had to do, he said, was to give him yours, and he promised you a much fancier one in trade. You began to question why Dad hadn’t given you the nicer one in the first place. Yeah, why hadn’t Dad given you a nicer bike? Well, what was there to lose? Such a deal to be had, if only you were willing to relinquish your father’s birthday gift for something better. After all, your dad was probably just being a bit stingy, right?

   Does something ring a bell here? The snake’s best strategy for Adam and Eve to eat forbidden fruit was to raise doubt in their minds about the goodness of God, to question His true character. It wasn’t just the yummy-looking fruit that tempted them.

   We think to ourselves, “I would never have eaten that fruit! The Father very clearly said not to eat it! Nor would I have been like those grumbling Israelites in the desert who, after being miraculously delivered at the Red Sea, complained that God must have drawn them out in the desert to let them die there. And I most certainly wouldn’t have been one of those who cried ‘Crucify Him!’ after waving palm branches and heralding Yeshua as the Messiah a few days before. I would never have questioned God’s goodness or motivation or inherent nature like that. What were those people thinking?”

   Ahhh, but maybe…. Have we ever questioned the goodness of God when things didn’t go our way? When someone we loved wasn’t healed, a baby didn’t come to bless us, a marriage did not come to pass, finances were not forthcoming, a ‘deserved’ promotion wasn’t offered, or our ungodly neighbors were able to purchase the very home we wanted and needed, while we remained crammed into our little starter home?   

   Maybe we are not so unlike those we have mentally condemned. Every past good gift and bit of lovingkindess from God sometimes fades in the wake of disappointment and deferred hope. We begin to question if God really does want the best for us. If His directions are really to protect and provide for us or just to keep us from having some fun in our lives. Does He REALLY want life abundant for us or is He just withholding something good which He is perfectly capable of providing? Does he love others more than He does us? Does He ‘love the world,’ but we are chopped liver to Him?

   Maybe we should take things into our own hands, like Sarah, and help God along with His promises.  After all, “God helps those who help themselves,” right? [Not in the Bible, in case you are unsure.] It would take many blogposts to innumerate the many times this strategy went awry in Scripture. (Think Adam and Eve, Sarah, Saul, Judas, and a host of kings, among others.) Not to mention testimonies from our modern lives.

   Let’s always believe, think, speak, and act from the solid rock of faith in the truth that God loves us deeply individually, and profoundly, that He is by nature Absolutely Good, that He  wants the best for us, that His will is for us to experience His total shalom of body, soul, and spirit …even suffering torture and death for us to have it). From that Rock, we can explore why we don’t always receive what He wants us to have at any given time. But let us never believe ‘the boy down the street’ (who by the way just wants our bicycle for himself) over our loving Father Who sacrificed to give it to us in the first place. (Just wait til to experience all its bells and whistles!)

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Part two of this post is coming next, in which we will explore what it took for our Father to get our bicycle back for us from that lying trickster, as well as how we can learn to tap into that vehicle’s innate power. 

   Julie

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Take a flying leap!

    

   When I say Good Morning each day to Abba, Yeshua, and Ruach Hakodesh (Holy Spirit), I picture myself hugging or embracing each part of the Trinity in various ways. i try to let Holy Spirit inspire the images in my mind. Most importantly, I want to express how much I love my ADONAI and how thankful I am that He not only allows me to come to Him each morning, but that He delights in it. 

   This morning a picture of me running to the Father and jumping into His arms came to me. It made me think of how my granddaughters run and jump into their father’s and grandfather’s arms, laughing with delight. I’m not sure who enjoys this ritual more, but I suspect it is the former. Pondering this caused me to remember the Lord’s words:  “Unless you turn and come to Me as little children, you shall not enter the Kingdom.” [Matthew 18: 3].

   In the past I have pictured myself reaching up to my Abba, but not running and jumping into His outstretched arms. The problem for many of us is that our earthly fathers weren’t the best representations of our Heavenly Father. We can’t conceive of ever running and jumping into our father’s arms. From distant to downright cruel, some earthly fathers were a source of emotional and even physical pain, rather than joy. Others of us were blessed with loving, if imperfect, dads. Mine was a wonderful man. However, he was raised by German parents to not express emotion, despite his internal tenderness of heart.  For example, when he fell out of a tree and broke his nose, his father told him “he had better not cry or he would give him something to cry about.” Hugging, for example was not our family way until much later in our lives. Thankfully, we knew he loved us, and he himself was much respected and even beloved to others. However, his earthly father, who died in his 50’s, did not represent our Heavenly Father well when it came to the extravagantly loving aspect of His character.  

   ADONAI Elohim is a prodigal (extravagant) Father, Who loves His children beyond their comprehension. [Luke 15: 11-32] Like my sons, son-in-law, and husband, He takes absolute delight in our taking a running leap into His arms. Give it a try, if you haven’t already done so. You will not only experience abounding joy but also deep healing. Yeshua has paid the cosmic price of Reconciliation* for us. Our sin no longer keeps us out of the Father’s Holy Presence.** Greet Him gratefully each day, knowing He is Absolutely Good. Let go of all your preconceived images of Him keeping His distance from you. But back up a few steps, as my granddaughter does, so you can get some good speed as you take the leap. You won’t be disappointed…and neither will He.

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*Romans 5:10: For if we were reconciled with God through His Son’s death when we were enemies, how much more will we be delivered by His life now that we are reconciled!

**Romans 8: 15: For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to bring you back again into fear; on the contrary, you received the Spirit, who makes us sons and by whose power we cry out, “Abba!” (that is, “Dear Father!”).

Yahweh is near to those whose hearts are humble. He saves those whose spirits are crushed. —Psalm 34:18

On my father’s shoe

 

   Does anyone else remember grabbing on to your father’s leg and not letting go, so when he tried to walk, he had to drag his leg (and you) behind him? Sometimes you could even manage to ride on his shoe.👞 Surprisingly, he never appeared irritated (at least mine didn't). He just looked down and chuckled. I probably did the same thing with my mother; I just don’t remember it. I’ve seen my toddler granddaughter attach herself to her mom in this way. 

   We were not a demonstrative family. [Hugging wasn’t something you would have seen in our home, both my parents having been raised in a ‘keep your emotions inside’ heritage. Hugging, for example, wasn’t seen in our home until my sister came home from college one day and threw her arms around my neck. I thought to myself, “Wow, I like this hugging thing!”] My father was predominantly of German background and my mother, English. Yet we knew they loved us, and my sisters and I are very grateful to have been blessed with the parents we  had (still have, in heaven).

   This morning I was reading and pondering Psalm 65, The first 2 verses read, 

   “Oh God in Zion, to you even silence is praise! You who answers  prayer…”] 

Brian Simmons (The Passion Translation) noted: 

The root of the Hebrew word for ‘prayer’ is palal, which also means ‘tent peg.’ Jewish tradition views palal prayer (intercession) as a means of attaching yourself to God. In the same way a tent peg establishes a tent and fastens it securely, so palal prayer fastens the soul to God. Palal prayer is when you grab hold of God and attach yourself to him in surrender and humility. Hold on to God like a tent peg holds on to a tent.

I thought this was wonderful. However, instead I pictured myself riding on God’s shoe, with my arms attached to His leg. I could hear Him chuckle. Certainly, He wants us to pray ‘face to face,’ but I believe it also pleases Him when we attach ourselves to Him and don’t let go. 

   Go ahead, pray, holding on tight, and make sure your humility, gratefulness, and love towards Him abound with His every step. I believe He will laugh out loud and most surely respond tenderly to your prayer.

    

The main thing

   This morning as I was praying, decreeing, and listening to Father’s Holy Spirit, He said (at least the gist, if not word perfect):

    “This is the main thing.” 

    “Which is the main thing, Lord?

    “This time in your day…each morning. It is not what  you do so you can move on in your day. This IS the focus of your day.”

    “Aaahhhhh.”

    “The other tasks and activities are incidentals. This is the heart, the main thing. Keep returning to the main thing. Every other part of your day should be subsumed under this NOW time with me. Once you understand this more fully, you won’t be checking off your ‘prayer time to-do list’ so you can get to your other seemingly important responsibilities. There is NOTHING more important than this.

   I do not deny you the rest, or even dislike or discourage you from accomplishing them. Just remember that they can be a distraction from what is truly important in My eyes, especially at this critical time in your world’s history. This is it. This is that time foretold, the time of spectacular fulfillment of My promises, recent and ancient. Bigger than ever before. You will be astounded. The earth’s mouth will hang open. Understand that you, My Child and all My church, must be on it. Armed and battling, not just ready for battle. The battle is NOW. Fight on your knees. Fight standing up. Fight sitting down with your Ekklesia staff in your right hand. Fight with your mouth, fight with your actions, fight with praise, fight with prayer, fight with decrees in My Name, fight in thankfulness, fight with My angels, fight with great celebration of all I have done, am doing, will do. Fight with rejoicing, My Child, My Children, My Warriors. Fight from my place of Rest.

   Do not be distracted, vulnerable and ineffective. Rather stand in confidence and assurance that I AM your Deliverer. I lead My army to Victory. Make sure your eyes are on Me, alert to every command, and you will reap the spoils of the Great Harvest ahead. You will hear Me say to you, My children, My Church: ‘Well done!’……and we will celebrate together as One.”

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Then the Lord said to Joshua, “See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men. March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days. Have seven priests carry trumpets of rams’ horns in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets. When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have the whole army give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse and the army will go up, everyone straight in.” Joshua 6:2-5

When the trumpets sounded, the army shouted, and at the sound of the trumpet, when the men gave a loud shout, the wall collapsed; so everyone charged straight in, and they took the city. — Joshua 6:20

The Cord

   Psalm 118, is a treasure. Reading the Psalms in The Passion Translation always freshens my eyes for a new look.

I love you, Yahweh, and I’m bonded to you, my strength! 2Yahweh, you’re the bedrock beneath my feet, my faith-fortress, my wonderful deliverer, my God, my rock of rescue where none can reach me. You’re the shield around me, the mighty power that saves me, and my high place. 3All I need to do is to call on you, Yahweh, the praiseworthy God. [Psalm 181: 1-3]

   Brian Simmons explains that the word rachem, universally translated love in verse 1 of this psalm, is not the Hebrew word ahav normally used. Rachem implies the love of a mother* so strong that she is bonded to her child. According to Brian, verse 1 could even be translated, “Lord, I want to hug You…!” 

   In recent years, I’ve often pictured myself hugging Yeshua, Ruach Hakodesh (Holy Spirit), and ADONAI Elohim (the Father) individually in turn. Not a Southerner by birth, I find myself declaring, ‘I love Y’all so much! I long to be with You, Three-in-One! Yet I am also ‘bonded’ to my family on earth and know Father still has purposes for me here. 

   Did you ever experience an invisible cord running from your heart to your children and grandchildren, or to others very dear to you? When you are physically far from them, it is as if that cord is stretched so tight and the pull so strong, you long to turn around and get back to them, no matter how much you had looked forward to being where you are. It doesn’t matter how old your children or how grey their own hair might have become. The cord is still attached, the bonding ever present. 

   Our dear Father, Yeshua, and Holy Spirit; God in Three Persons, Blessed Trinity; experience the same with us, their Beloved. So many cords, so many bonds, so much indescribable love for us.. Do we love them back with that intensity, longing with everything in us to hug Them, to be where They are? Homesick for them and wanting to express our love and thankfulness in every way possible, to joyfully please them while we’re still here on earth? I can almost picture our Heavenly Father gently pulling on the cord, saying, “Come closer!”

   How torn we are between our heavenly home and our earthly one, between being here for our family and dearest friends and yet feeling the tremendous pull from whence we came! Or rather, from Whom we came. The wonderful news is that we can live in both places at the same time, until the celebration of our Homecoming. “Be still and wait upon the Lord” each and every day. Push aside the distractions. Close your eyes in the stillness (or soaking in quiet worship music) and allow Holy Spirit to draw you to Himself, to give you a deep,  rich taste of His Person and what He has waiting for you. Ease the taut cord from your heart to His. Be where He is. No stretching necessary.

*******

*fathers, too!

Two pictures to warm your soul (to be remembered in the days ahead)

It is often when we are just drifting off to sleep or just waking up that we are especially open to Holy Spirit’s messages for us.  Last night as I lay under the covers, He gave me these comforting images, especially delightful to me in the midst of America’s evilly-engendered turmoil:

The Father tucks us (His believing, beloved children) into bed, pulling the covers up to our chins. We turn to the side, snuggling in. He brushes His hand tenderly over our hair, full of love for us, and tells us to sleep well. We hear noises outside the window, but He says not to be afraid...it is just the wind. There is a scratching at the front door, but He tells us again not to be fearful because He is our Protector and Guard, and His arm is strong. “Rest well, My precious ones. ABBA is near.”

We are surrounded by a circle of vicious enemies who are agitated and threatening us in various ways, but the Father is just chuckling. He even has His back to them as He goes about preparing a magnificent table for us, with an array of luscious-looking foods. The wine stands ready at each end, and the bread is fresh from the oven. “Eat! Enjoy!” He says. “Don’t be concerned about them. They cannot touch you.” As I pull the 🥖 apart, steam rises from it, and I lather yellow Irish butter across the end. A soft light is shining on our table, creating a lovely ambience for our celebratory feast...the Feast He has personally and lavishly laid for us, under His Tabernacle Tent.

Cleaning your windshield

This is an image and word God gave me early Sunday morning:

   I woke up this morning with an image in my mind from the Lord. I know it was from Him. I was in a convertible and there was a very dirty windshield in front of me. It was cloudy and covered with grime. You couldn't see through it, but I could see that they were presents piled up on the right-hand side on the frame of the car, to the right of the windshield, and the Lord was laughing.

   “Clean your windshield,” He said. “Your windshield is cloudy.  How can you see where you are going when your windshield is cloudy? Clean it with vinegar and with water.  Make it sparkle. I am piling my gifts up high. Make sure they are up high.  You need to proclaim and help distribute them from a higher place. We are picking up speed.  Rejoice! I am laughing with joy flinging those gifts.  I am flinging those gifts through you [the believing Church] out to the people of your nation, to the people the world.

   See the astounding grace of my gifts! Use your muscle to clean that windshield. Use the muscle of My Spirit to clean that windshield. Make it shiny squeaky clean so you can see where I am taking you and where you need to go as you help me distribute my gifts, gifts that will astound. Proclaim them, speak them forth. Do not be afraid to proclaim them; proclaim them from up high above the circumstances. They must be proclaimed from up high above the circumstances that people see and hear and feel and touch because my gifts are coming from the heavens. Believe and do not doubt; do not resign yourself to circumstances which seem to be beyond your control. Speak forth what I say, trust in what I say, see what I see, hear what I am telling you, hear my voice and proclaim my truth, my Reality. Receive what I have for you in faith and believing the truth without doubting that I am doing a new and amazing thing. Watch in wonder as it breaks forth! Be a part of it, be a part of it, Ecclesia. Be a part of it.  Don't speak against it; don't deny it; don't carry doubt in your heart but believe that I am able to do this, that nothing is impossible for Me. I am doing an amazing thing for you, a great gift. The big gift contains many smaller gifts. Rejoice and Merry Christmas! Your windshield is cloudy and grimy with dirt and deception, with the lies of many which you have believed. Clean the windshield to see what I see and believe what I am telling you… to not be deluded. Do not be deceived. Do not believe a lie but my Truth. You must clean the windshield. I cannot clean it for you. You must make a choice to clean the windshield. Partner with me to distribute my gifts. I have chosen to partner with those who believe and who trust in me. I have shared my authority with you. Those who believe partner with me to distribute the gifts.”

    He wanted me to fling them out as we travelled but told me we couldn’t go until I could see clearly:

“You must clean your windshield. Without cleaning your windshield you'll crash and burn.” That's what our nation (and the world) will do without Him, but he has a much better plan. He doesn't want us to crash and burn; he wants us to reflect his glory to the world, to speak forth His truth and demonstrate, manifest to the nations. We must clean our windshields to see what He sees, to hear what He says, to do what He wants us to do.  We must believe what He is telling us and act on that.

   “If you don't clean your windshields you will just sit in your car and be taken where you don't want to go. Your nation will be taken to very bad places, instead of to where I want you to go. The paths are diametrically different from one another.  You don't have to stay in the car with the dirty windshield and be driven by others where I don't want you to go. I want you to be free. The Truth, as I have told you, will set you free.

My gifts are Victory and Triumph, gifts of Mercy, gifts of Resetting to the original Covenant of your nation with Me. Gifts of Deliverance, gifts of Revival, gifts of Justice and and Vindication. Fling them from on high,” says the Lord.  Rejoice, rejoice, believers and let your light appear! Proclaim from the rooftops, from the highest places, that I am delivering you.  I am freeing you in the name of my Son, Jesus Christ! Proclaim my truth, proclaim my gifts and see me flinging them from high places, flinging them out, seeing them burst open to the people.  Receive them, believe them, and rejoice!” 

 

Another kind of seeing

So this morning, the joke was on me. I was thanking the Lord for so many blessings, especially having children and their spouses who love Him and one another. I do not take that for granted in any way, especially when I listen to the heartbreaking stories of other mothers and fathers, for whom I pray. 

After I write my prayers, I usually take another color pen 🖊 and listen, trying to accurately record what He wants to say to me. I know that I don’t always get it right. I sometimes write what I think He’s going to say. When I realize that (pretty quickly), I cross it out and get quiet,waiting. He often then says something that makes me laugh, and I know, then, it’s from Him. I don’t make myself laugh.

Today, after I erased what I had first written, He said He wasn’t offended but was glad I was Seeing what I was doing and He was happy that I was  Seeing the blessings He had sent. He always wants me to See His Reality over and above the ‘masked’ world I am going in and out of each day....like walking through a cloudy curtain from a clear, sparkling world and back again.

You have to read my previous blog post to get the Seeing joke. I hope you will, if you haven’t already. A good laugh ‘does good like medicine,’ especially when it’s from your ABBA.

Seeing what God sees

A dear friend needs prayer for the healing of her lungs. The Lord told me to picture her breathing in His Holy Spirit and being healed while doing so. I heard about her need for prayer as I was praying for our nation. After guiding me to picture her healed by breathing Him in, the Lord showed me an analogous prayer for our wounded and suffering land:

“In the same way you are now picturing Mary breathing in My Holy Spirit and being healed, picture your nation breathing in My Spirit and being restored and redeemed; healed of fractures, treachery, lies, and immorality, of evil fruit of all kinds...delivered, pure, and at peace.”

I have learned from Andrew Wommack’s teachings, including his series on Imagination, that He calls us to picture in our minds what He sees, to picture His will accomplished. Biblical meditation can also be translated imagination. Not the fantasy, wishful-thinking of current parlor, but a means of decreeing and asserting His Word and His Will. 

In order to accomplish this, we cannot spend time watching, seeing and listening to what man says, or we will be like two horses pulling in opposite directions, getting nowhere. Let’s turn off our televisions, close our mouths to rehearsing what is wrong, and close our apps, except those prophetic visions, testimonies, and intercessions which foster His Reality. As difficult as it is to hold not only faith in our hearts but belief in our minds, we are called to persevere, to persistently speak forth, both in the Spirit and in Our native language. To  see and say what Adonai Elohim...the Great I Am says, sees, and wills.

Amen and amen, to the ages of ages...Amen

The Candle and the flame

 I spent a long, hot, sweaty weekend sharing a booth at an outdoor market, trying to sell my books*, cards, and paintings. I sold no art and only two books over two very long days, with the second being a mercy purchase by one of the event planners.  There was a carnival incorporated at the Octoberfest, and it unexpectedly sucked the people to the rides and away from the vendors, much to the vendors’ (and organizers’) dismay.

I WAS able to hand out cards and flyers for my two books(online), which I pray will bear fruit.  It’s not just the loss of the money invested, but the desire to share God’s heart with people through these books (and art). I feel strongly that He inspired me to create them, so it was discouraging to spend all that time and effort and appear to get nowhere.  

Thankfully, God had warned me before the event not to be become discouraged but to simply be faithful and persistent, and that His economy was not the same as the world's.  I have to confess to still waking up discouraged.  He knew I needed a ‘nugget’ from Him, and as usual He was faithful to encourage me... with this: 

Hmmm...a candle, ok.  Significance? It's not lit.

Somehow the light in the room is making the candle appear to be alight.  As I write this, it still 'burns'. "Ok, God.  Tell me what this means."

"The candle is a reminder of what I can do supernaturally, far above what you can do in the natural. You didn't light that candle but yet it appears to be lit, and is, indeed, shining forth. Don't rely on what you see and experience with your senses. Visualize...SEE in your mind's eye, your imagination, what I Am doing--what I SEE in the spiritual realm.  Believe it. Have faith to see it come to pass."

"Cool. Thank you. You are so kind and gracious. Help me SEE what You SEE.

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*Who You Are and Let All Creation Rejoice! [Bearfoot Books for the Shepherd @JEddyWales]

Surprised by Sweetness

    I was feeling all yucky inside, with all the ‘stuff’ happening and the sickening words and actions of the times. Just yesterday I had spoken in church about the crucial need for listening to God directly, rather than relying on our own or other people’s understanding. For decades I have used those little speckled journals to listen and try to write down (by 'taking dictation’) what He says, as best I can. 

   Writing down has helped me stay focused, with my thoughts zinging around my mind and external distractions calling out to me.  If there’s ever been a time to commit to significant times of listening to the Holy Spirit, it’s now. Yet sometimes it’s difficult to quiet our souls to just be with Him and listen. To persist until His voice breaks through and begins to flow in our minds. 

   This morning was a challenge to LIVE what I advised just yesterday. I was tempted to just give up and start the rest of my day. Thankfully, I didn’t. His deep peace descended, and He told me to ‘soak my dry bones in His Spirit...His ‘abiding place,’ to absorb His life-giving nutrients’. “Let me refresh your mind," He said..."wash, wash, wash (image of a washing machine), cleansing it from the ‘stuff’ that has attached itself. “

   I can only describe what I then experienced as a sweetness which came to me. It was like hearing a tender Christmas carol and smelling the scent of evergreen,  while tucked up on the sofa in front of a lighted tree. "Oh yeah, that's what that feels like...purity, innocence, and peace all rolled into one.  I'd forgotten."  The Holy Spirit is the source of all that is pure and beautiful and life-giving.

   At the same time that I was trying to listen to Him, sweet and creative ideas were flowing faster than I could record them. “Are these distractions, Lord?” I asked. “I’m trying to pay attention to what you’re saying!”

“I know creative ideas are flowing all around you,” He answered...“faster than you can pull them out of the water.. When you place yourself inside My Stream, they will flow continually along with and around you. They always exist there by My creative Nature. You will be like Lucy and Ethel at the chocolate factory!”

“You are SO funny, Lord.  And a pun on 'sweetness', too? Really?"

Fear and two lions

   Did you watch the newer Jumanji movie? That’s not usually my genre of choice, but I enjoyed not only its humor, but some Biblical analogies I found there.  1Peter 5:8 warns us that our Enemy prowls about like a roaring lion seeking someone he may devour. That image seems even more vivid in current times, doesn’t it?

   The thing is, we can’t be devoured unless we agree to to it. We can never be his tasty meal unless we don’t know who we are as believers in Yeshua. In Jumanji, the ‘weakling’ character in real life becomes the super strong hero within the app. When he is about to be attacked, he freezes in fear and at first fails to fight back. He doesn’t remember  who he is. Suddenly he remembers that the man whose identity he has assumed has all kinds of strength and skill to defeat his attacker. It is only then he is successful in defeating his enemy. 

 

   I believe that happens with us. We allow fear to paralyze us. Fear of present times. Fear of future times.. Fear of speaking out. Fear of man’s opinion. Fear of illness. Fear of what will happen if certain groups take control of our country. Fear for our children and grandchildren. Fear of what kind of death we might die. Fear of that roaring lion. 

   However, it is the great Lion of Judah in whom our trust is securely placed. The other lion’s image is but an illusion, a hologram projected to frighten us into the kind of fear that causes us to leave our weapons lying useless at our sides. The kind of fear that can make us forget who we are. Like the character in Jumanji, we need to wake up to our true identity in Christ and stand up with confidence,  putting on the armor of Christ which He has given us. They are not just defensive weapons but offensive ones. Attired in our identifying  uniform, we find the hologram has as its source only a sickly cat, artificially magnifying its voice like the Wizard of Oz behind the curtain. 

   Another point of note in the movie as well as in Scripture, is that humility comes before success. Knowing who we are, in and of ourselves, places us in a position to stand up tall in the power coming only

from the Great Lion, the King of Kings.

   Yank that curtain back and unmask the imposter.  He does everything he can to keep us from knowing who he really is, because then we will know that we hold all the power.  Believe it, use it, and speak it forth, mighty ones!

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Matthew 8:26-27

FYI...I recently re-read The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis, the final book in The Chronicles of Narnia series. I highly recommend a current reading, in light of current revelatory events. For example, note that there is not only an imitation Aslan, but also another creature, thinking he has the real power, manipulating behind the scenes. Ultimately, that creature himself is swallowed whole by an evil greater than he. However, as you well know, that is not the end of the story. Further up and further in, everyone!

Tabernacling

 As I continue this year’s journey through Exodus, I have to force myself to slow down and picture what I’m reading...to visualize and imagine. In past readings, I confess to having buzzed through the detailed instructions for the Tabernacle.  Since I’m In 2020 (what, really?) I can search online for pictures, where others have done the work of drawing, painting, modeling the Ark of the Covenant, the acacia wood altar, and each aspect of the Tabernacle in the wilderness.  Some have even added their interpretations of the meaning behind the minute instructions and squeezed them into their pictures. Amazing! Thanks, guys!

Meanwhile, I need to stop, picture, imagine, question, and listen for myself. “What new insights do You want to share with me about these Old Testament events, Lord? What do you want me to learn or do in response to this concept of Tabernacling in the wilderness? Sometimes I try to draw an element like the lampstand for myself, even though skilled artists have already done so. It’s been interesting that the slow, manual process of drawing has created a settling of my mind and spirit to better listen for what He has to say.

 

Come Tabernacle with Me....come Tabernacle with Me in this dry wilderness of 2020. Amidst the chaos and lawlessness and lies and dearth of Truth, you will find my oasis, My Tent of Meeting. There is flowing, bubbling, peaceful, life-giving water here. “Draw near with faith”and without fear. You no longer have to be afraid...fearful to perform everything perfectly.. Be reverent, but not afraid. Honor Me with holy awe but love Me as your ABBA. Never forget the gift you have been given by My Son...that you may come to Me in this way.  Stop awhile in the Old Testament to fully appreciate the New. Understand how fear and trepidation have been replaced by My Shalom....that which I have desired for you since I created my son 

Adam and daughter Eve and placed them in the Garden with that very Shalom of provision, wholeness, intimacy, and blessing. Redemption, Reconciliation,  Restoration are now available to all who are willing to receive them.

Never take My gifts for granted. Never receive them flippantly or lightly, but reverently, with deep appreciation and awareness.  Hold them, as you would a fragile bird or delicate flower in your hand. Note every vivid detail, every facet...and be filled with awe. Fall on your knees in gratefulness. Better yet, fall into My arms. This was My desire all along.

Here am I...(Rabbit Ears, Part II)

When I hear the phrase Here am I, I immediately think of Samuel, who heard God whisper his name. [Samuel 3:4] It took three times for Samuel (and Eli) to realize that it was God calling him. However, I never remembered that Moses responded the same way when God called out to him. [Exodus 3:4]  I usually think of him as a reluctant and insecure prophet. However, at least he was listening well enough to hear God call to him. Before that time, Jacob was twice called out to by ‘the Angel’ and responded,  “Here I am.” [Genesis 31 & Genesis 46] Even earlier,  Abraham, when God called to him first to sacrifice his precious son of promise and then to refrain from it, also said “Here I am.”  [Genesis 22:1, 11] (I think I would have held my hands over my ears and wobbled my head, saying, I can’t hear you!)

Call and response.. All of these individuals responded (at least ultimately) with faith and obedience. Well, Moses...stalled quite awhile before agreeing to be ‘sent’. I think I identify best with Moses.  “Hey, God, I have a better idea. Why don’t you send my brother...yeah, send him. He’s a much better speaker. I don’t think anyone, especially Pharaoh, will pay any attention to me. I’d really rather stay here and tend the flocks, if you don’t mind. Yeah, Mikey will do it!” (Sorry, younger friends...it’s an old cereal commercial reference.)

I, like Moses, am intimidated by all the positively demonic attitudes of ranting and violent people, including friends, whose downright hatred for my beliefs is beyond irrational. I would rather hide out in my cocoon and plug my ears.  However, God has not stopped calling. What He specifically calls us to say and do will vary. But He doesn’t want our fear of man to cause us to pretend we can’t hear Him. “Lord, did You say something? I must have been distracted.”  Yes, by fear and panic. I just want to be content and cozy, Lord. Aren’t there other people whom You can ask to go out there and make a difference?  After all, I’m retired! And You know I hate it when people are mad at me.  Poor excuse? Yes, I remember You saying something about people hating me who hate You. But now people hate me who don’t hate you. They believe in you! Oh, right, that part about deception in the latter days....Ok. I am without excuse, aren’t I? Do I want to partner with You to bring people to You and have their eyes opened to Your Truth? To see the delusion they’re under? Yes, Lord. Yes. Even though the war within me rages to remain hidden away. The real tending of sheep is not for wimps, is it? Any Shepherd will tell of the courage required. Ok. Can I do it afraid, as Joyce Meyer says? Right, got it. As long as You’re with me, telling me what to say or do and when to say it. And also how to pray. You promised to do all that? Yes, You did, didn’t you? Rabbit ears? Ok....

Here am I. Send me.

Rabbit Ears

I love to have my prayer time on the porch and listen to all the birds, living in the trees surrounding us. I’ve wondered from which bird each call, song, or cry emanated. So I downloaded an app called BirdNet. I record the birds and then ask the app to analyze and identify the source, if it’s able. So far it’s identified about a dozen birds.  

The challenge in recording is to capture the quieter bird songs between the raucous calls of the crow and the scrub jay. This caused me to ponder what it is like for our Heavenly Father, with billions of voices calling out...some directly to Him and many just plaintively calling.  They don’t realize He hears their every whisper and every inaudible cry.

The Lord knows every one of our voices, as well as the number of hairs on our head.* He longs to have a two-way conversation with us. He hears the human equivalent of the soft coo of a dove at the exact same time as the unlovely cry of the raven. One does not drown out the other. In fact, He recognizes every individual dove, jay, towhee, swallow, starling, and robin as distinct from one another. You are not just part of a species and genus to Him, but rather a creature like no other. He hears every personality-filled call.

But do we hear His? Do we recognize the voice of the Shepherd amidst the cacophony of world events, social media posts, movies, television broadcasts, and conversations with friends and strangers? Do we listen intently amidst the fears, anxieties, dread, rationalizations, and even happy diversions of our minds?

When I was young, my mother called me rabbit ears. She and my father could be whispering 2 rooms away, and I would ask them questions about their conversation. “How do you DO that?” they would ask me. The Lord reminded me of this recently. 

I want you to have rabbit ears again, He said. 

What, Lord?, I replied with consternation.

Rabbit ears...remember? I want you to to listen so intently for me that you can hear me through all the noise and chaos of the world around you, especially when I seem far away..  Even through the fears and anxieties of your soul. It is vital now that you do, and even more so in the future. It will help if you turn off the secular external audio input. However, there’s no OFF switch for the internal voices, except through the power of My Holy Spirit. Tune those rabbit ears to My frequency and fine tune your reception. I AM above the circumstances in which you live, and you can be, too. But you must stay finely tuned.

Spend more time feeding yourself with the good food of My Word, by discerning teaching, and most of all by praying in My Spirit. Your rabbit ear growth comes from these...from My very Presence.  Live higher.  You will hear My whisper in your ear.

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My sheep listen to mu voice; I know them and they follow me.  --John 10:27

Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care.[a] And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.    --Matthew 10:29-31

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You have searched me, Lord,
    and you know me.
2 You know when I sit and when I rise;
    you perceive my thoughts from afar.
3 You discern my going out and my lying down;
    you are familiar with all my ways.
4 Before a word is on my tongue
    you, Lord, know it completely.
5 You hem me in behind and before,
    and you lay your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
    too lofty for me to attain. ...

How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
    How vast is the sum of them!
18 Were I to count them,
    they would outnumber the grains of sand—
    when I awake, I am still with you.

--Psalm 139: 1-6; 17-18