Trekking with Me

My thoughts are not too organized right now but I have some wonderful nuggets the Lord has opened my eyes to; so as the rain sweetly drizzles down outside, may His Truth drizzle down into the soil of our hearts. The parable of the soil has come to life for me.  You know, the one about the four types of soil.  It can be found in Mark 4.  After scratching their heads, one of the disciples had the bravado to ask, "What does it mean, Jesus?"  Jesus then unfolds the parable in such a way so they can understand it.   The Seed is The Word, the living Gospel that brings life.  The soils are the different ways the Word is received, the condition of the hearts of people.  There are those who are hard and the seed simply bounces off and the "birds" come and eat it.  There are those who receive it but their hearts are rocky and the soil is shallow.  It seems to sprout up quickly but then it dies since it has no depth for the roots to go down deep...

It's five till 2 AM as I begin typing out these words.  Reason in being awake is a certain low grade ache in my ears, a channel of pain on either side of my nostrils running up to the inner corners of my eyes, a left nostril which is officially clogged: simply a general inability to breathe while my head is in the horizontal position. After a few hours of almost asleep, waking to attempt to relieve the pressure by blowing, attempting to find slumber again, scrabbling to find that nasty already-been-used tissue that fell out of my hands (again) and loving Vicks Rub more with each application, I decided I would surrender, sit up and blog. Winter seems to avail plenty more opportunities to get such an ailment.  This time I am highly suspicious of the lovely elementary kiddo's I substituted for earlier in the week.  Those snotty nose kids shared their germs and I did not wash my hands enough.   It was worth it. As I sit here in my misery, I am notably aware the ble...

One of my love languages is words of affirmation, in written form, left in odd places.  The first man I fell hard for left me tiny post-it size notes tucked under my windshield wiper.  I nearly crashed my car the first  time I discovered one! God often drops post-it size notes my way.  Not literally, but in ways that light up my days, assure me of His intimate love and transform me.  Here are a few I have received lately: You are acceptable.   This love note from Heaven has come before, in fact, as I reflect over the last year, it first came last March.  This time, it spoke more deeply, directly to a lie I have lived in - that I was not acceptable.  Is there anyone else that has believed that lie?  I am free to be me because He created and designed me exactly the way I am.  I know, "I am not perfect, but parts of me are excellent!" I am somebody. We are significant.  God doesn't make junk; in fact, I bear His Image. ...

We all know that our washer or dryer has an appetite.  Somewhere in the laundry process, one sock is eaten.  It is a mystery: how does this happen?  How do I end up with three single lonely socks, missing their mate? Last night I was participating in a ministry my church has for the less fortunate.  We are running a pilot program to help equip these precious ones with skills, resources and more than anything, confidence, to keep moving.  Restoring their hope by strengthening their hearts: we really have only one thing to give them - Jesus! Last night we focused on the Biblical character of Joseph.  I love Joseph.  As I sat in the back of the room listening to the lesson, my brain started down its own trail of thought over Joseph.  Never, not once, do we see Joseph carrying a victim mentality.  Granted, we are not given privy to the thoughts inside of Joseph, we are simply given the narrative.  We read over and over, he crashed into s...

I love happy endings. I love it when the girl realizes the man loves her for her, and she lets down her guard and loves him back. I love it when the guy waits patiently for the girl to realize she loves him. I love it when love grows softly between two unsuspecting individuals. I love it when the man sees the heart of the woman he loves and draws out her inner beauty, making her outer beauty all that much more beautiful. I love it when he sees her worth, more than she sees her own, and he does everything to show her she is worthy. I love it when the man and woman discover they are on the same adventure and they can fight it together all that much better. I love it when you walk out of the movie theatre, and you heart and mind wear a smile because the story that seemed so complicated, frustrating, and impossible ended up just like you knew it should have... and hope is restored in your heart that Love does win. I love outtakes that make you sit until the very last line t...