PARADISE

Image: Jomphong / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

A little over a month ago after much prayer, the Lord opened a door for me and the kids to move to a small town a couple of hours away. As we sat at the table one day talking about moving, my oldest said, "We are going to paradise." "I like that," I said.

The property has a rental cottage on it and there is a family of seven there this week, so we were all outside on the deck having dinner last night and the mom said, "This is paradise." "Yes! It is!" I replied. The fenced in yard is spacious and has beautiful gardens full of many varieties of roses, irises and much that has yet to bloom.

Today I looked up paradise in the Strong's Concordance and it said:

1. a place of future happiness



2. a place of blessedness

and today I would say BOTH are accurate.

Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. John 16:13

MY BIRTHDAY PLAYLIST

A couple of friends from church threw me a party on Monday and we had an awesome time and an even better time in worship, here is the playlist with some of my favorite lyrics listed:




I could not get the lyrics to format under the videos, so here they are:

Potter’s Wheel by Daniel Bashta
Make me
Shape me
Into everything that You want me to be and more
So place me on the potter’s wheel
Spin me until
There’s nothing left but You in my life
Cause brokenness is what I want
So do a work Yeah in my heart
So when You look at me
You see Your reflection

Heaven by Daniel Bashta
Heaven fall down on me
Bring Your peace bring Your joy
Let it rain let it pour

Worth it All by Rita Springer
I don't understand Your ways
Oh but I will give You my song
Give You all of my praise
You hold on to all my pain
With it You are pulling me closer
And pulling me into Your ways

Take My Hand by Shawn McDonald
Take my hand to the promise land
And on You I want to stand
‘Cause I cannot do it on my own
You're what I need and I need to be
Right by Your side ‘cause I cannot hide
Lord, I know that I need You

Rain Down by Jesus Culture
Feels like its time, to dream again
I hear Your voice, and yes I'm ready

After worship we had a dance party including the Cupid Shuffle, ChaCha Slide and the Cupid Shuffle to Take My Hand...try it, you won't be disappointed!

GODLY PERSPECTIVE

Photo credit

This morning I walked into church with a lady and I asked her how she was doing. She said, “I’m learning what it means to take care of myself.” I said, “Me too!” I told her that yesterday I went into Pine Mountain and had tea with friends and spent the whole day there and had a wonderful time of fellowship (practicing taking care of myself with time off).

As I sat down in church something was bubbling up inside of me and I said to another friend that “I was so excited I could scream.”

Midway through the service all these pieces came together in my head and gave me a beautiful revelation. The Lord showed me the reason I have trouble “taking care of myself” is because I don’t value you myself or see myself as beautiful, the way He sees me. He brought to mind the rusted enamel basin and pot I bought yesterday at an antique store. I saw them sitting outside and immediately I saw them as beautiful planters (they had value to me). That’s how He sees me with my rust spots, I’m beautiful and have purpose and value! You are altogether beautiful, my darling; there is no flaw in you. Song of Solomon 4:7

When I got home with my treasures I went to a friends to borrow her husband’s drill to make drainage holes in the planters. As soon as she saw them she said, “Oh, no…I don’t like those.” I said, “I love them.” Her opinion of my treasures did not change my opinion at all, the same way that the enemy’s accusation of me does not change God’s opinion of me nor should other’s opinons of me change my own.

This morning before church I planted flowers in those pots and they were even more beautiful and He showed me as He plants His word in me I become more beautiful too.

It all comes down to understanding deep in my spirit who He says I am. This is not a new revelation just with a new tangible reference point. The planters sit on my front and back porches as constant reminders of the beauty He is planting in me and that I have great purpose too!

On a side note, when I planted the flowers in the pail I knew it needed a stand and thought an old wooden highchair would be perfect. Guess what I found in the trash on the way to church? Yes, an old highchair. I knocked on the women’s door to make sure she was getting rid of it, she said I could have it. Isn’t He just the best daddy EVER?

He has made everything beautiful in its time. Ecc 3:11

NO PLACE I WOULD RATHER BE

This song is the cry of my heart these days. In the midst of this battle there is NO PLACE I would rather be...than here in His love...enjoy...

the songs starts at about 19 seconds

THE PROMISED LAND

Today I am 40!!! Praise the Lord! I am so grateful to Him for my life and all the blessings I have. I got a birthday card this week and it said something like, "40 is a great year for fresh starts." I was recalling it during breakfast yesterday and remembered the Israelites, they wandered around 40 years and then entered the Promised Land. I believe I am entering my Promised Land as I agree with the Lord about my life. Today during church the Lord gave me this in Exodus 14:

9But the Egyptians pursued after them, all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, and his horsemen, and his army, and overtook them encamping by the sea, beside Pihahiroth, before Baalzephon.

10And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and, behold, the Egyptians marched after them; and they were sore afraid: and the children of Israel cried out unto the LORD.

11And they said unto Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt?

12Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness.

13And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever.

14The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.

That is so me...whining in the wilderness and wanting to go back and serve the Egyptians (sin, behaviors, idols, places) He is delivering me from...but Moses said, "...for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever."

Click here for links to my previous posts relating to my difficulty in staying in the season the Lord has me in. This verse gave me great revelation of the problem and great hope for the solution!

The Lord has told me, repeatedly, that some of the battles I am in now are going to be finished works (more on that later), so I look forward to entering in...

HOPING FOR SPRING

Hope can be defined as "joyous expectancy" and that is where I am at in the midst of a winter season, I am "hoping" for spring. If you have been here a while, you know all the Lord is teaching me about seasons (here, here, here and here) and I can happily report I am overcoming the fear and resting in the current season and not going back or forward. I was blessed to find this on Cheri Keaggy's site:

He said) ‘See, I am doing a new thing – do you not perceive (it)?’ Making a way in the desert - filling up wasteland with streams Yours is a story of Winter – but, child, you have believed That I am the Author of your life – and now I am writing your Spring

There are buds all around me and I can't wait to see them bloom (and unto Him be all the Glory)!