Greatness

The breaking of the heart produces the fragrance of love and compassion. How does this truth come about I cannot fully explain but I know if I stay in His love and hang out with my beloved I will be changed. I put my trust in what is truth and the truth is this: God is preparing me for greatness. I am not talking about what this world perceives as greatness. It is not about money, power or beauty. I cannot buy it online or in a store. It comes by humbling myself before the King. I am talking about greatness of loving myself and loving other people who need to be loved. He placed His gifts in me even before I was born and there has been a process of accepting how He made me. This heart of mine has been broken by relationships I have had in my journey. Christ comes and takes these broken pieces and mends and loves me into a new place of greatness called love and compassion. He willingly went to the cross so this could happen in the secret and hidden places within my heart. This greatness is mine, freely given, and I receive the wonderment of His kingdom and it brings life into the dead places I have tried to hide from him. Love and compassion are married inside of my broken heart and now I feel less pain and more of His greatness in me. Greatness to achieve a call to become me, fully and completely and uniquely me! That is real truth, to accept the good the bad and the ugly that I have been and now to embrace all that is me. This mountain I have been fighting against is now mine to hold inside of me as I walk out a life of greatness that is called love.

Restoration

Restoration is the word of the day! A couple of nights ago I was studying 2 Kings 8 and I saw a Wow moment! It's how the widow left her home and land for 7 years. "And it came to pass at the seven years' end, that the woman returned out of the land of the Philistines: and she went forth to cry unto the king for her house and for her land. Then the king did this for her... he appointed unto her a certain officer, saying, "Restore all that was hers, and all the fruits of the field since the day that she left the land, even until now." She didn't do a thing except to go before the king. He did it all for her because he wanted her to receive. She was granted complete favor not in what "she did" but what the king wanted to do for her. I think we get sidetracked into thinking we have to do something to get God to move when in fact, God is moved because Christ did something for us. This widow did not toil in the field to produce fruit for seven years. She wasn't working the land but she still received the fruit of that land. The Lord gives us what we need and even the overflow where we did not expect it. Present yourself before the King and you will see His goodness and His love for you. 

The Swing

My thoughts are meandering back to a place in my past. I am once again sitting in the hot Texas sun as it is streaming, peaking through the old pine. The distant touch of a springtime breeze kissing my cheek, and I am transported back in time.  The weathered board, pressed against my legs, is hot from hanging still in the sun. The ropes feel rough and prickly as I squeeze them with my five year old hands, so tiny and small. I look down and see my bare feet dusty from the journey through the dirt and tall grass. I take a deep breath and kick up my legs in anticipation of soaring high. Then off I go as I lean back and experience what a bird might feel as it takes to flight. I am flying, as I close my eyes up I go and then feeling myself falling back to earth and up again, touching the top of the pine. I go higher still and this time I touch a cloud and back down to earth I fall. My heart is pumping with joy as I once again feel freedom in mid-air. I let go of the rope of my past as my arms are held out before me, I land. The grass is cool and comforting as I roll and tumble to a stop. Laying upon the greenness I am satisfied for now and I open my eyes to gaze into the clouds that I touched. Slowly, I come back into the present and I'm sitting with age upon me as the memory fades away. A smile touches my lips as I know that sweet moment will always be frozen in time of me flying high and touching the sky.

Artist/Critic

The past few days I have been attempting to do portrait pieces using the medium of charcoal and pencil. I have enjoyed this new place of work and have opened myself up to self-evaluation of what is acceptable to myself and if it is “good enough” to allow others to see my work. As an artist, I feel many conflicts swirling around this thought process. When I am alone creating, I am in a different world, a world full of wonder and excitement of being in this creative realm. I am focused on the piece and nothing can pull me away from this beautiful experience. I will work tirelessly for hours and those hours fly by quickly. I am complete in those blocks of time and I know deep within that this is part of me and I embrace the course of my life without regret or self-evaluation if this is what I should be doing. Then all of a sudden I am finished with the creating and then the logical part of me looks to see the flaws. In the past, the critic in me would be disappointed in the outcome. This time I stood back and saw with a critical eye where I needed to improve on parts of the work. I made a decision to take my work and show two other artists that I trust. They were able to give me pointers and instead of feeling closed off, I was open to their help. I don’t know if other artists feel as I do about this process of creating and I only speak of my own experience but I believe that it’s the conflict of the artist and critic and the battle going on inside that makes this important to the process…both are needed to balance the finished product. One flows from the emotional, creative side and the other flows from the logical part of the brain to complete the work that will stand strong with both sides coming together as one. To see and embrace the artist and critic is a balancing act and in time when the two are accepted within, I believe that is when the work becomes the art.

My garden delight

Union

When I awake and open my eyes the light escapes from my heart and enters the sunlit room. I feel your deep touch upon my soul and I hear your whisper of thunder reverberating within. The sounds of love crash against my heart, pulsating and alive in me as love eternal. I am transported into the reality of the deep heart of eternity by just a soft word of revelation. Light, sound and thought come together and emerges through the perpetually thread of life that we are becoming one. I am connected to the great I Am and by the unification of a Man-God so we could be together for eternity. Your resurrection becomes the point of connection and now nothing will separate this heart beating as one for you, the One who was and is and is to come. The burning eyes of fiery love, the burning lamp stand before the throne of the One True God-Man and I am completed in this union of tenderness and devotion.

A New Day

A New Day is here and I want to encourage you in saying, if your dreams did not manifest this past year then do not lose heart. Our Papa has been working on your behalf to bring about your destiny. Each day brings you to a place of hope if you keep your focus on our Creator. His heart is for your good and every good thing comes from Him. It is easy to become detached, hopeless and discouraged if your focus is misguided. If you can keep looking towards the goal through the filter of the goodness of God then you will be able to achieve everything that is in you and more. Misguided focus becomes a deterrent instead of a motivational force of achievement. Spending time with Our Lord will give you the direction you will need in the upcoming year. There will be many distractions to prevent you from achieving your heart's desire if you allow it to be your compass. The only compass you need is in your heart. It is the direction from the Lord and He is the only one who knows where you need to be at all times, so keep your eyes, ears and heart tuned toward the throne, the seat of authority on which we stand. The way, the truth and the light is the source for the destiny in you to be fulfilled. Worship, seek, ask, converse, be thankful and you will see the heart's desire manifest into your life by His great Hand. This is the year of Light and Revelation. There will be more of His light flowing through His Bride, more light of His salvation, more light of His love being poured out to you. Now is the time to pour out your love by ministering to Him. When you shift from trying to meet your needs and decided to love with all of your heart the King of Kings, the Father and the Holy Spirit then your life will take a path that will lead you to a place that your heart has been longing for. You will learn what real love is and nothing will prevent you from giving that love to others. So go forth into the nations (your realm of influence) with His banner of love over you and you will see great signs, wonders and miracles happening right before your eyes. The old patterns of believe that are not kingdom focused need to be dealt with so the pattern of the life of Jesus can be released into your life. The year of 2012 is a year of great hope, restoration and the birth of the great awakening.