NEW.

That gaping wound.  That life of failure, unfit, totalled.  And you watched all those people pass by on the other side of the road...         agony.  They never noticed the holy mess, as you counted all of the pieces until you couldn't count anymore.  And somehow no one could see the multiplicity of angels that were dancing above your head, hovering like glitter-clouds,  a sure sign of Divine encounter waiting to happen.

And then...   the One.  The One.  The One.  The One.  The One.  The One.  The One.  The One...

The One and Only... Jesus... who made up for all that came before.  Stopping, rushing, seeing, touching, healing, faithing, loving, re-gathering, and letting the whole world know by His actions that...

In the light of heaven, we are all worth saving.

From every angle, beauty can be seen beyond dark disguises.

And Love covers...(and knows.)

You see, God has a NEW-pen, multicolored and miraculous.  

Where there is a wound...He scribbles over, around, and all the way through it until you cannot tell how He did it but all things are a wonderful brand of bright lovely artful new.

Where there is a need...He draws concentric circles of provision around the perceived 'lack' and you watch... and He barely picks up His pen and He's drawing ongoing remedy into your readiness... and as far as you can see...those circles do not have a stopping point...every little hope has His full attention.

Where there is a minimizing...and a want of proper esteem for the very GIFT He sacrificed Himself to receive...     [YOU!]  ... He writes a new and wonderful story along the lines of your living and has you COMPLETELY convinced with only a few words...that

                                                               YOU ARE:



                                                                WORTHY

                                                         from the inside-out 

                                               and He is seeing His reflection

                                                   in your wondering eyes,

                                              His shine in your holy mess, 

                                            His perfection in your potential.  

                                               He has drawn His image 

                                          into the very heart of your matter.  

                                                    And the rest is history.

And it is all true.  What was... what has come undone... what is... what Love has colored NEW.  What is yet to be revealed.  It is like rainbow-time-travel.  Forward and back until that colorful glory-arc is made more visible and vibrant than anything else.  It is all happening...at the very same time.  That Great Artist... transforming your experience in full. Bringing you from hopeless to living color.  Yesterday, today, and forever.

And one day along your way, there by the side of the road, is another...in need of some Love-illustration.

That gaping wound.  That life of failure, unfit, totalled.  And watching all those people pass by on the other side of the road...         agony.  The others never noticing the holy mess.  But you cannot resist.  And the angels are celebrating.  And you know just what to do ...here and now and always.



Then I saw a new Heaven and a new earth, for the first Heaven and the first earth had disappeared and the sea was no more. I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, descending from God out of Heaven, prepared as a bride dressed in beauty for her husband. Then I heard a great voice from the throne crying, “See! The home of God is with men, and he will live among them. They shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death shall be no more, and never again shall there be sorrow or crying or pain. For all those former things are past and gone.”


Then he who is seated upon the throne said, 


                                                      “See, I am making all things new!” 


And he added, “Write this down for my words are true and to be trusted!”

Revelation 21ish

Freshly-Baked Heaven

I am fairly CERTAIN that Heaven smells like freshly-baked cookies...

AT ALL TIMES!

And since I am COMMITTED to creating the culture of heaven HERE on earth,

I have decided to bake cookies EVERYDAY...

We're three days into this new plan.

I am becoming SO popular in my family.

And EVERYONE is SMILING and SATISFIED.

Isn't that what Heaven is like?

GENIUS.

Peace Continuum

As the world swirls 'round,  I am caught in the tiny center of this storm.  The evidence of evil is everywhere, even on the inside, it's footprints threaten to multiply.  But there is this one heaven-spot.  Right in the middle of everything-gone-wild.  And I remember...in an instant...

Divine peace.

Like a literal dove inside of my heart,  warming up it's wings, winding for freedom-flight, madly, deeply, passionately representing.  Whenever I hear the echoes of chaos, my soul surrenders to this precious sound...the sound of flying.  That signal-dove reminds me (right.in.the middle.of.myself) that no matter what...peace is stronger.  It trumps the turmoil.  It by-passes the mind.  It allows me to rise above the wreckage and cling to nothing too tightly but:  love of God and everything that He holds dear.

This wing-song is a reminder that the PEACE that Jesus made at the cross is the umpire of my soul...it calls all the shots.  And God's presence is nearer now than even a moment ago in this PEACE CONTINUUM.

I love that He is the heartbeat of my hope, and the whole of my duty here is...

to love and to be loved,

to know and be known,



FOREVER.
(And how!)

Miracle.

The snow falls softly and changes the entire landscape.
I am watching from my hiding place.

Sweet Intrusion

Don't turn away from a sweet intrusion.
Like the tears that fall down on a rainy day.
I can see through the clouds there's a Holy Communion
That's headed...it's headed your way.

i did everything RIGHT today!

(taken from the journal archives, apropos today)

My lists are very long.  My idea fountain is always on.  My lists get longer.  And days seems to burn like time-matchsticks.  

I have lived with myself for quite a number of years now.  It’s amazing that it has taken this long to see  the light.  Before this week, I have literally been managing my own personal factory of defeat.  I’ve been working against my own grain…  frustrated with all the ways I don’t measure up…to my idea of what could be.

The lie:  You cannot possibly accomplish yourself.

Truth:  I AM.

It came to me like a cartoon wind blowing me out of bed one morning.  These words have reshaped my outlook. I started this week with this experimental phrase, spoken out loud, with God-confidence…

‘I did everything RIGHT today.’

Yes, outlandish.  Yes, positive thinking.  Yes, faith.  Yes, IDENTITY!

I stepped into Jesus in a new way.  I jumped into His big shoes.  He has purchased that place for me.  I am seated with Him, standing with Him, living in Him (my reality) at the right hand of the Father where the forever-pleasures go on and on and on.

I am rehearsing this new declaration because…

IT WORKS!

The instant my faith (agreement) met Father’s design for my days, EVERYTHING fell into place.  Like miracle productivity and extended stretchy hours in my day to ACCOMPLISH, to BE.

I am working this phrase into my dreams like baking fresh bread, so that the glorious smell of new mercies and opportunity awakens me to LIVE, to partake.  Each moment, nothing lost.  I am walking in the shoes of great confidence that in all that I do, I am blessed in ‘rightness’ to be a blessing of ‘setting things right.’  A wonderful red carpet for my day.

So why am I writing this?  Because I’m not sure it occurs to most people how underneath expectation we tend to live.  I  am writing to encourage YOU to stand on the mountaintop of your highest expectations of your day… and of your life and… commit them to the category of ‘right and accomplished’before they even come to pass.

I have done this in a general sense with visions of the future…  believing God for fulfillment.  But doing this with the daily moments is where we effect the greatest change.  The mind of Christ sees the end from the beginning.  See it like He sees it and say it out loud.  You will no doubt experience  a whole new level of LIFE. 

You can start right now, wherever you are…

‘I did everything RIGHT today.’ 

(Enjoy!)

0 notes

As we go...

[A Prayer for Health, Vibrancy, and Abundance]

Sweet Father...

We are learning to live into your promises, bringing the benefits of your promises and making them our functioning reality.  We make them our HOME.

And you are multiplying our days and the days of our children, as the days of HEAVEN UPON THE EARTH.  Brightness and boldness abounding everyday more.  We thank you.

Because Jesus has become the guarantee of a better covenant, He is able also to save me completely,  perfectly, finally, and for all time and eternity since I have come to God through Him, and since He is always living to MAKE BLESSING HAPPEN...here in the present...As well as in the future or in eternity...BODY, SOUL, AND SPIRIT.

Thank you for renewing my strength, and for teaching me to fly, and for helping me to run WITHOUT WEARINESS, and to walk and never. give. up.

You have brought me health and cure.  You have cured me, with revelation of abundant peace and living truth.

My light breaks forth like the morning, and my health springs forth speedily; and Christ goes constantly before me; and His pure glory covers all.

Thank you that physical wholeness is a part of the finished work of grace, contained within salvation, paid for at the same time with the same healing blood.

Jesus, you are my REJOICING, you never fail, and on your Word and with a faith-gifted-and-knowing heart, I have healing just as I have salvation.

You have beautiful thoughts about me...And beautiful plans...For a beautiful life...  Right now and always living in peace, health, and prosperity.

Go Ons

Rock on, baby!  It's 2013...

The BEST YEAR EVER!

  I will laugh like never before...

 and talk like I know what I'm saying...

 and sing out the newness

 in concentric circles of gratefulness. 



Oh wait, I say this every year... 



But I WILL NOT STOP.   I will go on like a party. 

I've already won this one.

Forever.

the Weather

There was some kind of lightning in my soul last night. My heart was ignited. Fire won me over.

There was a whipping wind that nearly blew me down, and yet... it proved me strong. Today I am more ...somehow.

There was much rain... and washing... and covering... and consoling. And wrenching of heart, wringing of hands. Wondering how to feel such shapelessness, sharp and dark and overwhelming. Nearly too much, but more likely just so perfect.

And it came seemingly without warning. I didn't see the clouds because I spared not the moment to look around and see...

the Weather forming.

Life by Appointment

And then one morning I awoke to another ‘day in the Life’ with the thought…

‘The opposite of disappointment is…appointment.’


What??!? I had never considered this Truth, the now obvious, until I was literally awakened to a new understanding of, well, LIFE.

This mindset-changing statement, God-breathed and elevating, has turned my world inside out. It has the incredible power to establish rich freedoms within and without. It is a seed of encouragement to turn over the stone of disappointment and find the wonder of dignity and discovery in a life made on purpose. Redemption in real time.

What is.. LIFE? Is it our experiences…our perceptions…an upside-down-and-around-and-back-again ride of emotion… turmoil… victories? Is it simply the circumstances that we face? Or just the way things appear to be? Or is it ‘other’ than all of these things?

In the beginning, Life was. And this same Life that was, still is. And tomorrow…guess what?… it will continue to be. We all know the beautiful creation story. And we know intimately the disappointment of the fall. And this storyline that formed our alternative thoughts around the One True Life was created by ‘choice.’ Our choice to disagree with God…resulting in… dis-appointment.

But we, by the amazing Grace-gift of Christ, have been re-appointed to LIVE. To LIVE! And by our re-choice to receive abundant life instead of running from it, we no longer have to accept disappointment as our reality. It really is…our choice. No.matter.what.

There is no defeat or failure of expectation, no loss of hope, desire, or design. In pure Life, as defined by the reality that ‘GOD WINS,’ there is no frustration on earth that should ever be allowed to steal an ounce of the joy of this sweet salvation that happens in every moment.

I know full well that we can feel these things… and feel them deeply at times. I know that things don’t always look the way we think they should. I am no stranger to disappointment. In fact, I had made it such a lifestyle and had become so identified with disappointment that I was continually looking for more things by which to feel defeated. And I know many others who are now caught in these cycles because they don’t know another way. And so…I’ll say it again…

‘The opposite of disappointment is…APPOINTMENT.’


So…to what exactly are we appointed?

I’m reminded of the good words in Isaiah 61: ‘…God has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted and to announce that captives will be released and prisoners will be freed. He has sent me to tell those who mourn that the time of God’s favor has come, and with it, the day of God’s anger against their enemies. He gives beauty for ashes, joy for mourning, praise instead of despair.”

This is a fantastic starting place for understanding how God’s purpose will be fulfilled in us individually…and collectively. This is our intended lifemap.

And in order to be able to do all of this, we must become a living, breathingcelebration of the truly Good News; we must give our eyes to heaven-sight; and we must align our thoughts and speech with the Truth and only the Truth.

On any given day, disappointment might come knocking on our door. We have a choice. It might try to come in the back door. Even if it surprises us, we still have a choice. Just knowing that we have the choice is freedom. Turn the situation over. There’s always two sides to every story.

The more we make LIFE our choice, the more attention we give to ourappointment within it, rather than entertaining disappointment outside of it, the more fixed and settled and established we will be in our new and seemingly miraculous Life habits. Walking in appointment and purposesets things right…if you are willing to try something new, you will stand taller, live stronger every day. AND…it’s way more FUN! (I promise.)

We love Tumblr & Stationery by Thijs

There's still (time)...

and this year, I'm going to spend more time being myself. Yes, I am.

Failure Does Not Exist

Love sees us according to our destiny, not our history. So, if we can actively cooperate with that reality then we will see that failure does not exist, because the very Spirit of Creation is alive within us helping us apprehend that illustrious future-life.

If a certain decision ends up short of expectations then judgment calls it failure, but Grace calls it faith in action. If a certain strategy does not meet cultural standards then judgment calls it unsuccessful, but Grace calls it faith and initiative. If a line of thought doesn't adhere to normal philosophical rules then judgment calls it deficient, but Grace calls it faith and originality.

Failure does not exist! Love is bending over backwards to make every possibility possible for us. And Wisdom is screaming its desire to give unending help and direction.

Small Change

There is no such thing as small change. Any change is always measured in epic proportions, because of the advancement that it can create. Momentum potential. Movement is agreement with the rhythm of life and by it's very nature disallows stagnation.

Living the DREAM...

What will I be when I can realize
That I've got more than enough
That I am all that You've said

I wonder how long it takes to see the light
And know there's always more up ahead...

You say...I am worthy
You say...that You delight in me
I am...the one who bears Your glory
You died...and live...so I can

DREAM.


I remember crying while writing this first verse of song breakthrough. I am laughing and smiling through the second verse of celebration. I am. Living the dream.

The Wonder of Wings

I had carried my heart like a stone on my back, heavy and immovable, packing the electric dreams like a steady reminder of solid potential fossilized and failing to explore.
Until one day I noticed the little wing sprouts emerging from within the rock heart.

The contrast of the feather softness coming right out of such burdened living was completely astonishing and made a ready believer out of me. Suddenly able and willing to accept 'the becoming' as the true real and the extraordinary as a way of life.

I wondered how I would fly with the weight of such a stony load, but as sure as I AM, those wings began to grow and change and with Almighty strength they cracked that heavy like lightning right down the middle.

Crumbling and crashing, the pieces fell far from me. And when there is no more waiting and you can't be held down, life follows it's instinct...ever and always rising. And there is nothing that can stand against the force of those wonder-wings...inside of you. Let's see what you got.

Counting...

Counting stitches, counting stars, counting children, counting blessings, counting years, counting sheep, counting steps, counting victories, counting everything I can count. I've been counting my life. Every moment, everyday. But when I stop and try to count Love, the counting is done. There is only One... and He is more than the most of anything that can be counted.

Retroactive Grace

Tell God what you need and thank Him for what He has already done...on your behalf...covering every perceived deficit. Retroactive grace.

I started writing a song last night while waiting for children to finish up at an acting class. Just a prayer declaration coming up a song..."I will not worry, no I will not worry, no I will not worry at all..." Unfinished, of course, and simply true. This has become the Way for me.

I've spent more of my life worrying than I have living. Worried about what people think of me, about where the money comes from, about how to be on the outside all that I feel on the inside, how to get it all right. Worried about how to love myself, how to keep everyone happy, what to make for dinner, how to be a friend. How to be whole, how to write a song...

I can rattle these things off so fast. And I could keep them coming. But it's not worth it.

Because...THERE IS NO LACK IN ME... BECAUSE THERE IS NO LACK IN CHRIST.

I LOVE how He paid for it all. I LOVE that I don't have to worry. I love that He's taking away the propensity. I LOVE the surety that I am discovering deep down inside of HIM.

If ever I start to be concerned about anything...I immerse myself in the complex simplicity of retroactive grace...God's ways are undiscoverable. But His riches are mine...body, soul, and spirit. He is the Beginning and the End. And everything in between.

I am COVERED in every moment and in every way. Hallelujah-backflip!

(And that is a monkey in that picture above)

An Extravagant Gift For Me and Everyone Else, too.

I really like myself. This was not always the case.

Enjoy the Consequences

Something happened inside of me this new year. So much deliverance and revelation through the holidays. Most of it didn't come easy. All of it has reframed my parenting.

I really love being a mom. I love having daughters and sons. I love the privilege. It is also something I wasn't prepared for. I'm sure that's the case with MOST parents on the planet. I missed all the lessons and was asked to do the homework. Huh?

My husband and I have followed the "joy- disciplinarian" path with our children...following the example of our stellar friends "the Johnson's" who have the best behaved and well-loved children we've ever known. AND...there's ten of them at last count. Those children know who they are. They are not afraid of it. They love God. And others. And they know how to have fun. Pretty much exactly what we want to see in our children.

I can't remember much consistency in my upbringing. Or feeling totally loved. I don't remember consequences ever making the point. And I certainly found my heart in a world of hurt as I was growing...resulting in a young adult who fell apart rather than flowered. My parents did the best with what they had to give. No fault aimed in their direction. It just became my responsibility to discover the roots of the unraveling and understand how to rewrite my internal script for living...and for steering and stewarding young spirits.

I don't come by this naturally. I'm leaning very far into Father to get it right.

So whatever shift has taken place in my heart lately, I'm noticing that I am calling the shots more. I'm not getting "worked" by my children. The peace that Christ made at the cross is really
the umpire of my days. I have come into a whole new thinking, almost like I'm remembering a firm foundation that I know wasn't laid in the natural, very supernatural. And yet, I'm remembering like it was always there. Strange.

I have tried to be strong and consistent in my discipline with my children. But then there was always 'this and that' and making excuses for some of their disobedience because I just felt sorry for them. I feel as though I've previously been operating under a tremendous amount of guilt in my parenting. Maybe I thought I wasn't worthy to administer discipline and assign consequences since 'I'm not perfect - Why should I require them to be?"

The deal is...I am perfect. I am sitting inside of I AM. And it is His authority that I parent with. He is FULL of compassion. He is also TRUTH UNMOVED. And my job just got easier.

So I've been following, listening in between the lines of our life. I've been asking, declaring the love of Jesus in our home. I've been faithing, holding to what I know that I know...and what this tree is producing at the moment is the ability to discipline my children without getting emotional (raising my voice)...consistency is coming through like breathing...and consequences are equaling the offense. I am in control, not them. Ah, yes. God has given us authority. I am finally and fully taking it on.

The most recent example happened when Merci (seven years old) didn't pick up after herself, leaving her favorite red fleece jacket and skinny jeans on the floor and disappearing. Instead of getting mad that she had done it again again again again again (she's definitely been the hardest to train), I just picked them up and put them in a giveaway bag like I have threatened to do so many times and just didn't have whatever it took to mean what I said.

The sky fell on Merci. That was the hard-hitting effect of a specific cause. She was able to see the sequence for the first time. She was able to feel the frustration that I have been feeling FOR HER all the other times. This happened in the morning.

Late in the afternoon, we were driving to an acting rehearsal and she said, "Mommy, can you be happy and mad at the same time?" I said, "Sure you can." "Mommy, I mean can you be mad that you have consequences and still be happy?" I told her that is COMPLETELY possible to make the CHOICE to be happy even when you may be mad because the consequences will cause you to make a better habit and give you a better life...one where you don't disobey because you know there's more 'happy' in obedience. Then she said, "So I can be smiling even though I won't ever wear those skinny jeans again and I'll miss that red jacket so much?" And my favorite answer to date that came out of my mouth...amazingly..."Merci, you just have to ENJOY THE CONSEQUENCES. They will lead to the good life. I promise."

A few days later...smiling...Merci reported that she's not mad at her consquences anymore even though she's not sure if she can ever 'enjoy' them. "Mommy, that's just plain silly."

But she got it. And I love it.

Reconnecting

Why does it feel so difficult to connect with God sometimes?

Because fear is a shape-shifting obstacle, always making itself out to be bigger than it is. And because lies hold great sway in our hearts as long as we believe even a small bit of them.

But if we can sidestep fear and rejection for a moment and exist in a space of simple confidence - the middle ground between haughty and forsaken - to presume upon One whose very nature is a mystery...we just might find the other side of living. The kind of living that lights up EVERYTHING.

And if we can do it once we can do it again, and if we can do it multiple times we can establish a pattern in our journey that is cooperative with the benevolent Unknown.