Waiting for the Feast

I poured birdseed into two feeders the other day to prepare for the very cold temperatures we just received in Texas. I hadn’t fed the birds in probably 2-3 years so this was going to be a treat for me as well as for my feathered friends. Filled to the brim with good stuff, I then sat back and waited for all the birds to show up. And I waited. And I waited some more. And then I realized there’s a little lesson here of which the Father reminded me: My waiting is just like the Father’s when He sets a banquet before humanity with all kinds of wonderful things: only where are His invited guests? Why have they not shown up? He is so excited to share His table with us that He fairly bubbles over with excitement in the hopes of soon seeing someone come to feast at His table. When the blue jays, cardinals, Swensen’s Warblers, sparrows, and finches finally came, I was overjoyed and completely delighted to simply watch these little creatures enjoy the spread I laid out for them. Pretty simple…similar to how God our Father delights in us when we come to His table to enjoy His meat and drink in all forms of blessings with no thoughts of condemnation or shame. Come to the table and feast!

I created these birds with painted tissue paper embroidered onto handmade paper for a sort of watercolor effect.
The design is by Anita Goodesign. Enjoy!
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Precious Returned

These rings have quite a history. The jewels are precious and have all been given to me from various people for special occasions.

The top ring, a glass ‘amethyst’, was given to me by my Daddy when I was in first grade. How do I remember that so well? Because one day at school I dropped my ring into the toilet! In my innocence I went to my teacher, who was absolutely lovely, Miss Courts, and asked her to get it for me. She came with me to the restroom and asked me first if I wouldn’t like to fish it out. I politely said, “No, would you please get it for me?” And that lovely woman put her hand in the toilet and brought it back up to me. Precious!

The ring with the beautiful blue aquamarine was a gift from my husband upon our engagement. He let me choose whatever stone I wanted. I knew nothing of jewelry, but I liked the blue color. It did not have any diamonds at the time. Around the year 2000, I noticed one day that the stone was missing from the ring. I checked everywhere but couldn’t find it. After about 6 months I asked my husband for something to wear on my ring finger and he bought me the diamond band. Precious. I was happy.

BUT… months later I returned from a choir rehearsal at church and my son showed me something he found on the carport while he and his brother were playing basketball. It was my aquamarine! My husband had used the compressor that day to clean out dirt between the garage floor and the carport area, spraying dirt and dust all over. My aquamarine had been nestled in that crevice all those months but the force of the compressed air pushed it out in a place where it would be found. It could have ended up in the dirt where no one would ever find it. But it didn’t! So the ring was fixed and the diamonds attached and I can only use that one word again–Precious.

The ring with my mother’s diamond in the middle and the rubies surrounding it has a special story too. When my mother died around 2002 she left me her wedding ring. I cherished it and loved it, but one day I heard God telling me to give it to a certain preacher who had a healing school. I agonized over this for a few months, but knew in my heart it was the right thing. So I went to this lovely man who accepted it graciously while I cried as I presented it to him. I thought he might sell it and use the money for his ministry, but he put it in his safe. Lo and behold only 6 months or so later he ended up marrying a lovely woman and he gave her this ring! Precious.

So why do I have the ring now? Because Cheryl asked her husband 13 years later for her own diamond, and he purchased one for her. She called me one day and presented my mother’s ring back to me in this little green, bejeweled box. I have promised the ring to one of my children whom I hope will cherish it because it sat on the fingers of 2 very godly, wonderful women. Precious.

The ring with 6 jewels began with a diamond and an emerald which were my mother’s. The children added the other 4 for their birth months and thus emerged my ‘mother’s ring.’ Precious. I would not trade one of my children for any jewel, though!

The triumph is in receiving what my Heavenly Father did for me in bringing back these precious jewels. I could not have orchestrated the return of each the way He did. You and I are precious jewels to Him and He even bought us back for His own crown. He returns to us what is truly Precious. I hope you realize this more and more: that you are ALWAYS precious to the Father, no matter what you do. He paid for you to be in His crown and you are there forever!

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The Triumph is Real

The whole theme of this website is walking in God’s triumph. I have explained in a previous post about what a triumph is: a public acclamation for tremendous victory. It’s almost too much to take in that we get to walk with the One who fought the battle, attained the victory, handed it to us on a silver platter, and then called us to walk in His triumph!

One day a few weeks ago I felt like vertigo was coming on from being too exhausted the previous week. I was helping my husband format his latest book and was stumped by something. I asked God to show me, because I really had no clue what to do in this particular program. Fairly quickly, He showed me and I jumped up and started praising Him for the answer. Because honestly half the time I figure out something like that in a computer program, I have no idea HOW! I sang the loudest and happiest songs I could sing and play at the piano! To my wonder, immediately after that there was not a trace of the vertigo feeling. He brought me into that beautiful walk with Him full of accolades for what Jesus did in me. His beautiful Son took me by the hand and dances with me through life in a Triumph. Wow. The Triumph truly is REAL!

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The Royal Mind

We have been given an amazing gift from heaven’s treasury: the mind of Jesus Christ. It is an unconditional gift we receive when we believe on everything Jesus did for us. That simple. So that means because He is a king, WE also have a royal mindset! By adoption the Father made us His children, His heirs to the Kingdom. How do the sons of the King act and think and speak?

The mind of Christ gives us discernment to know how to live our lives. Remember that royalty has the mindset that what they decree and declare will be put into effect, bear good fruit and bless the Kingdom. We can feel confident when we pray for something to happen that it will occur because we are in relationship with that holy Mind. Intimacy with our God is THE most important thing in order for us to be able to do His will here on earth.

Since we are royalty now and seated in heavenly places near the throne of God, we can make decrees and declarations based on His Word to bring His kingdom to earth. Do you need peace? Call on the mind of the God of Shalom (peace). Do you need healing in body or soul? Call upon Jehovah Rophe (the God of healing). Do you need a job or provision of some kind? Call upon the God of provision, Jehovah Jireh. Ask for His mind to bring you to remembrance of His Word to know how and what to pray in each case. Are you praying for lost souls? Ask Jehovah Tsidkenu (God of Righteousness) to touch their minds so that they will see and hear the Father for themselves.

The Father (Abba) has adorned His royal children with pearls and precious gems so we may shine like stars to the nations. Pearls and gems are His Word and deeds, His virtues, gifts, and graces, as well as our decrees and declarations to bring the Kingdom to earth. May we find the Pearl of Great Price and embrace His love for us and enter into His mind for the greatest joys of our lives!

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Surprised

By William Cowper
1779

Sometimes a light surprises
The Christian while he sings;
It is the Lord, who rises
With healing in His wings:
When comforts are declining,
He grants the soul again
A season of clear shining,
to cheer it after rain.

In holy contemplation
We sweetly then pursue
The theme of God’s salvation,
And find it ever new;
Set free from present sorrow,
We cheerfully can say,
Let the unknown tomorrow
Bring with it what it may.

It can bring with it nothing
But He will bear us through;
Who gives the lilies clothing
Will clothe His people, too;
Beneath the spreading heavens,
No creature but is fed;
And He who feeds the ravens
Will give His children bread.


Though vine nor fig tree neither
Their wonted fruit should bear,
Though all the field should wither,
Nor flocks nor herds be there;
Yet God the same abiding,
His praise shall tune my voice,
For while in Him confiding,
I cannot but rejoice.

I love Cynthia Clawson’s version of this hymn. It has long held me fascinated. In this lifetime we may worry about supply chain shortages or low food supply, but the answer is here. If we are truly God’s children, not in name only, but walking with Him daily in a love relationship, He takes care of us. He gives us wisdom to prepare for the future but at the same time holds it in His hands. The farmer knows how to wait on the Lord for sunshine and rain and growth in the seeds he’s planted. Father God is ready to give when we have the need and He sees we know how to trust Him for it. But it may come as a surprise and not the way we expected. Do I hear an Amen?!

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promises

Here in Texas, after it’s been dry and we experience a rainfall, these beautiful little flowers pop up all over our yard which is really a meadow on the prairie. They’re called rain lilies. When we first moved to our 5 acres 32 years ago, one of my sons and I identified nearly all the wildflowers throughout the seasons. This one was unfamiliar to me because I had never seen them in Minnesota where I grew up as a child . In the midst of the brown prairie, these tender little things shyly show their beauty for a few days, then they’re gone. My grand daughter recently picked a bouquet for me. We placed them in water, and the next morning, they had closed a bit and the base of the petals were much pinker. It delighted her because her favorite color is pink!

Rain lilies appear no matter how hot the weather. They simply need a bit of moisture to thrive, and they demonstrate that God cares about the land. Do you feel dry and forgotten? Maybe you are dry, but you are not forgotten! Drink from the Living Water found only in Jesus Christ of Nazareth. He promises that His well never runs dry and once you drink from it, you’ll never thirst again! How do you do that? Read His Word! It is food more necessary than the physical stuff you eat. You cannot live life the way God intended without the Word of God flowing through you.

Do you want health? Do you need finances for food, clothing and shelter? Do you have a ministry in mind but you need help? God knows all of this. Continuously He holds out His Word to us which says, “Seek FIRST the Kingdom of God, and ALL these things will be added to you.” He doesn’t want us to only survive, He wants us to THRIVE. If you desire to bless others, you must first be blessed by the Lord. It is for HIS glory, not ours, that our needs are met and our desires granted to be a blessing to those in our sphere of influence. “May you prosper and be in health, even as your soul prospers.” 3 John 1:2

Rain lilies remind us of God’s loving care for all things small and great and that He desires for us to thrive. In the midst of trials, dryness or pain, He holds out His hand of blessing that we may come to Him with grateful hearts. What promises are you holding on to?

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What Adam’s Done…

What did Adam do? What have I done? What have you done? And who will clean up the mess? This song was composed by a friend who was a Methodist minister for 40 years. (He also happens to be an extraordinary musician who loves hymns. But not just hymns sung the same old way you’ve always heard them! He has his own unique styling of them that brings them alive to this generation!) This song is a totally original piece that needs to be heard to remind us of the mess we made of our lives, who paid the price for our mess, and who became our beautiful redeemer.

From tears to triumph! Storytelling at its finest! Enjoy!

If you like this piece, you’ll enjoy his other songs, too. This is from the album “Who Says” by Jim Radford. Take a look at JimRadfordMusic.com

What Adam’s Done is used with permission of the composer, Jim Radford

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life after the freeze

The deep freeze Texas encountered in February of this year brought death to many plants and trees. Our Indian Hawthorn did not survive, although one bush held on to life which had some of its branches and leaves hidden underneath a pile of leaves. The Live Oak trees really suffered and dropped ALL their leaves. They’re coming back but they look funny. The poor fig bushes/trees were frozen to the core all the way to the ground. Obviously they’re not cold hardy. We had to pull up their thick limbs which left only bare spots in the ground where these two beauties had only last year given us and the mockingbirds a bumper crop.

Now understand, we love our figs. Dried, in jam on top of toast, or eaten right off the bush–they are absolutely Edenic. And the mockingbirds fuss with us over who gets them. The freeze brought with it a reality of death and hopelessness. BUT– not a death of faith! I decided I would speak to those figs to declare God’s goodness and life over them, praying for a resurrection. Maybe a month later I saw some bits of green coming up from old roots in the ground. What do you know!?!

The unretouched picture above was taken 5 months after the freeze. The bushes/trees are taller than I am now! That would have been enough for me, knowing they were alive, but do you know what else God did? He did more than I could have asked: He made figs come on in the same season! I never expected that. They will be much later to pick than normal, but if we have a warm September I might get a harvest. I have already eaten 2 or 3 that ripened early and oh, were they wonderful! Taste and see that the Lord is good!!!

Take your authority and speak life to hopeless situations and I bet you’ll be amazed.

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Not Often Enough

Do you tell your family and friends EVER that you love them? That you appreciate them? I want to tell all my friends and acquaintances that they are loved. Here’s a sweet old song by Henry Mancini I recorded this year for you.

Kinda takes you back to high school, right? Oooh, those could be great days or troubled days, depending on who you hung around with. Being in choir, I enjoyed myself thoroughly and loved making music with Loren Squires et al at Burnsville High School in Minnesota. We did a couple of musicals and I received the honor of being Maria in the Sound of Music and Marian in Music Man. I played opposite some wonderful singers. Music was all important to me and I began to find my identity in it. But not often enough did I think about eternal things.

However, I longed for more. Something was missing. I found it when I went to college as a music major in Texas. My friend Rich kept singing about Jesus and I was so intrigued I asked him to tell me more and more. Then it was oh so natural to commit my life to Him. My music took on a whole new angle. I thought I would end up on the musical stage, but as I grew, and especially now as I look back, I realize that type of life never could have been meant for me. I’m a bit more contemplative than a career of that fashion would allow. I love teaching and writing and singing and taking walks where I sing to my Creator. I am delighted with more than music. The ‘not often enough’ turned into ‘all the time’ as I learned to demonstrate to others how I love and appreciate them.

What’s your ‘not often enough?’

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Mystify

What is a mystic? I remember when I was young and single a lady from the church we both attended told me she always thought of me as mystical. Really? I was mystified! Simply in love with Jesus is how I live. And it showed in my countenance.

I’ve been studying a bit about mystics and what prayer is. One man says that prayer is God speaking followed by my reception of His word in my consciousness with signs following. I believe that Christ is in us the moment we ask/trust/believe Him, although He gave all of us a conscience from our very beginning. Opening our gateways allows Him to manifest answers to our prayers. Another man says that the Glory of God is in our inner core, and that we let Him make His way into the world through the first gateway we control: our first love with Jesus.

I’m not seeking experiences/events/exaltations as I seek to understand more of what mysticism is. I simply want to go deeper, higher and forward with Yahweh. Sometimes the DAILY of our lives means we don’t have time for things like this. The children need to be taken care of, the garden needs planting and weeding, our husbands need tending, dishes pile up, and on and on. But if we have constant consciousness of Christ Jesus INSIDE our very being, we have that peace that passes understanding and may still walk in joy as well as all of the virtues God has in His storehouse!

I recently spent a month living with my son and daughter in law and babysitting two grand daughters. I would fall into bed at night exhausted. I’ve still got some energy, but I’m not 30 anymore! My husband and I agreed before I left that every night we would talk on the phone, read our chapter of Scripture and then have prayer time for our family and world concerns. That kept me going, as well as the knowledge that Abba lives inside me and is my constant strength. The mystical part, I guess, is that my joy never abated, nor my peace. I did miss my times of personal worship, but would try to get that in for a minute or two if the house was quiet.

My point is that living a mystical life may not be spending hours in front of a cross, or kneeling at an altar, or denying oneself food or comfort. Daily surrendering my will to that of Abba, watching what He is doing, and looking at my situation with wisdom’s eyes as I’m seated in heavenly places, that is the mystical. I pray you find your place of rest in the goodness of God today and that you will experience Him in a greater way than ever before, even if the manifestation mystifies.

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