My Life with My First Love

God gave me life… When I was a child He became my friend. When I got to know Him He became my Father. When I wanted to see what I could do He taught me to fly. When I thought flying made me special He taught me to be still. When my heart longed for love He brought me a marriage. When my lover became my God He sent jealous discontent. When my heart was broken He lifted my head. When my eyes were up He healed my relationships. When I least expected it He grew me a family. When I loved like a parent He showed me his heart. When my children left home He showed me a seed. When that seed was planted He increased our family. When lonely days find me He sends me friends. When friends don’t exist He fills me with music, or romances me with dramas, or thrills me with passions, or adorns me with colors......
When winter assaults me He provides me a nest. When summer is here His world is my playground. When I hate the world He sends dreams of heaven. When I long for heaven He shows me how great life is. When I'm down for the count He invites me to dance. When I dance too fast He leads me to rest. When my tears start flowing He sends me a laugh. When I laugh too long He shows me the needy. When I fulfill a need he sends me great joy. When the sun is too bright He sends me a cloud. When the skies turn gray He leads me to shelter. When I pray through the storm He sends me His peace. When peace turns to fear He is still with me. When panic takes over He waits next to me. When all hope is gone He comforts me there. When my songs are silent He sings to me. When I can’t get up He reaches for me. When I respond to Him He becomes clearer. When I am weak He is yet stronger. When I am strong we run together. We sprint, We leap, We soar together. When I am king we rule together. When I am a pauper He’s my bread daily…Hourly...Now. When I question everything He sends me answers. When I question my hearing He shows me His word. When I engulf in the word He opens my eyes. When my eyes are open I see my neighbor. When I see my neighbor I see the world. When I see the world I feel like a speck. When I am but dirt He sees me as clay. When I am a vessel then He fills me up. When I am full He flows into my world.

God’s Valentine

Precious One… Do you know how very much God loves you? I found these scriptures scattered throughout the bible and there are many more. It is nice to highlight them in your bible so you can find them easily when you are having a bad day. I use a pink highlighter for the love scriptures so I can feel like I am reading a valentine. I know...I can be such a GIRL! I can't help it. There is no love like God's.

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his loving kindness is everlasting . Psalm 118:1

I love you just as the Father loves me, live, linger, and enjoy my love. John 15:9

I love those who love me, and those who seek me shall find me. Proverbs 8: 17

Nothing can ever separate us from the love of God. Romans 8:35

This is real love-not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son (to rescue us) 1John 4:10

No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us. 1 John 4:12 (be kind to those who hurt you Luke 6:27)

We know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love. Romans 5: 5

How precious is Your steadfast love, O God! The children of men take refuge and put their trust under the shadow of Your wings. Psalm 36: 7

Be rooted and grounded deep in God’s love. (like the tallest flowers of a garden) Ephesians 3: 17

Whom the Lord loves He corrects, like father corrects the son in whom he delights. Proverbs 3: 12

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8

For God so loved the whole world, that He gave us something…(he gave us a way to be reunited with him). That he gave his one and only Son, that whosoever believes in Him will never perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God and everyone who loveth is born of God and knoweth God. He that loveth not, knoweth not God for GOD IS LOVE. Beloved let us love one another. 1 John 4: 7 & 8

Dear One, never let anything take God's place in your heart. 1 John 5:21

His love for us goes on forever! Psalm 118:4

Why we are... DUST IN THE WIND

I close my eyes, only for a moment, and the moment's gone. All my dreams, pass before my eyes, a curiosity
Dust in the wind, all they are is dust in the wind
Same old song, just a drop of water in an endless sea. All we do, crumbles to the ground, though we refuse to see
Dust in the wind, All we are is dust in the wind
Don't hang on, nothing lasts forever but the earth and sky. It slips away, all your money won't another minute buy
Dust in the wind, All we are is dust in the wind

Kerry Livgren, Kansas, Point of Know Return album, 1977)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tH2w6Oxx0kQ

Anyone who enjoys this song would also enjoy dusting off their bible and reading Ecclesiastes, Solomon’s depressing rant about the hopeless state of fallen man. This also could have been the song that Adam sang to Eve after they ate the apple. Genesis 3:19 That is when God said, “From dust you came and dust you shall return.”

Yet, death was not part of God’s original plan for mankind. He originally intended us to be rulers of the earth and to live forever. He wanted us to always be in a close relationship with Him. God loves us with an everlasting love as a good Father loves his son. The bible says that He sees us as treasures inside of clay pottery. The fact is that we were the ones that broke fellowship with God by committing treason and falling for a trick of his enemy. Adam and Eve did it, and we do it all the time. We deserve to be forever banished from God’s kingdom. We deserve the death penalty.

God said that all we have to do to be restored to his kingdom is follow his laws. That is what happened throughout the Old Testament. Yet he knows no one can ever do it. Like watching a child try to do something you already know he can’t do. He patiently let man try, so we would realize our limits.

But one man finally did it. Not only did Jesus follow all of God’s laws, he stood up face to face with his enemy and defeated him. After he was filled with God’s spirit he had the strength to resist every earthly temptation the enemy offered, including money, power, and fame. Then He spent the next few years teaching the truth about God’s love and desire for restoration. He exposed lies, took authority over earthly forces like oceans and storms, and annihilated sickness and disease. Then the enemy used mankind to torture his body and Jesus allowed death to take him. But he did not return to dust. He woke up with a body better than any zombie movie you have ever seen. It had been changed into a body that was not made of earthly elements. Jesus used this new body to teach on earth for several more days then He rose up into the atmosphere on his way to God’s kingdom. Think about it, his new body was for earth and heaven, and it defied time and space.

The bible says that we can also receive supernatural bodies. It just depends who we choose as our leader. Is it going to be Jesus, who will bring us into God’s kingdom of unconditional love and acceptance-and where a new mission is waiting for you? Or is it going to be the invisible trick master who slowly destroys you, all the while letting you think that you are the wise one?

God, you are King of the Universe. Most days I feel like I am just a speck of dirt. But I want to know the truth about things. I do not want to be tricked or used by your enemy. Your Holy Spirit has been released on the earth to lead people to find the truth. I want to follow that Spirit only. Open my eyes to the invisible things of God. Help me to believe that I am valuable and important to you as a Dear Son and that I have an amazing future in your kingdom. I declare now that Jesus is my Lord and I intend to follow him. I ask you for your spirit’s help in that endeavor. Be my strength as I fight the good fight of faith. Amen.

Like Dancing in the Rain

It seems like it might be fun to dance in the rain if it is a light sprinkle and I have a really great umbrella and awesome rain boots. Have you seen Gene Kelly dancing and singing in the rain? He seemed happy.

But dancing in the rain has come to mean much more to me lately. It means that we can learn to find joy in the middle of a bad situation. When we have problems in our lives we pray for God to remove the problem. And, thankfully, sometimes he does. Poof! Just like a fairy godmother. The problem is gone. But sometimes trouble is still there for a long time, always in our face.

We know God hears us when we pray. We know he loves us. We know God can reach us in this messed up world. Then we must know that God is with us right in the middle of our troubles.

Psalms says “He prepares a table for us in the presence of our enemies”. “Our cup runs over”. So in the middle of a battle in a giant war we can feel like we are sitting down to a peaceful dinner, even as the trouble makers watch us eat our favorite meal and even have dessert!

This can happen when we learn to connect with God’s spirit. It is a matter of what you look at and think about. If you spend a lot of time thinking only about your problems, you will feel overwhelmed by them. Take a break from your troubles. Take time to think about God’s love for you. Maybe you have a list of bible verses that are about God’s love. Take time to read through them. You could watch your favorite Jesus video. Maybe you have songs about God that you can sing or dance to. Music is a powerful way to focus on God and feel his love. There are lots of ways you can take a mini vacation with God every day.

There is a bible story about Jesus walking on water. He was actually walking on top of the lake! Peter got out of the boat. He focused his eyes on Jesus and walked on the water too, for a while. Then he stopped looking at Jesus. He got distracted by the big waves. They were trouble. Looking at the waves he began to sink. It is our choice where we want to focus, on the waves of troubles, or on Jesus.

Jesus didn’t let Peter sink. Jesus reached out and rescued him in the end.

Jesus said “In the world you will have troubles. But don’t worry, I have overcome the world”. (John 16:33)
Psalms 46 says that God is an ever present help in trouble.

Dear Heavenly Father…Thank you that you never leave me lost in my troubles. I know my future home is in your heavenly kingdom where there will be no more problems. But I want to know the Joy of the Lord while I am here on earth. Let the Holy Spirit help me find a great way to connect with your love each day.
Your Princess, Amen.

The Santa Secret

This is chapter one of the book "Everything you always wanted to know about Christmas" Discussions and Answers to my 11 yr old's questions.

Why are there so many Santa decorations? The image of Santa has become an icon and a symbol. It is a reminder to us of how joyful it is to be cheerful givers, and how blessed we are to be able to celebrate with our family and friends. For example, at our house we have an old plastic one that lights up. It was Grandma Grace’s. Daddy Brad remembers it from when he was a little boy. We have a cute one that my friend, Lisa, made for me out of a fireplace log. It reminds me of the parties we used to have with their family. We also have one that is a nesting set where the small one fits into a little larger one and so on. That was also a gift.

But my favorite one is a Santa kneeling beside the baby Jesus.

When I was a little girl I loved knowing that Santa would always remember me. He would bring me something wonderful every year without fail. He must really care about me to watch over me all the time and to give me gifts when I didn’t deserve them. I mean, let’s face it, I tried to be good, but really I was just as selfish as everyone else. It was amazing to me that there was someone who loved every child in the entire world.

Will the real hero please stand up! Yep, Santa was my hero. If someone tried to tell me that Santa was not real it would break my tender heart! I did not want it to be true. Yet somehow I knew something wasn’t quite right about this Santa fellow. I felt empty and lost because I knew that I needed a hero…that the world needs a hero.

My sadness was lifted when I finally learned that Jesus is real and he is much better than Santa.


Who is Santa, really? Nicholas of Myra is a real guy, a good guy who loved God and children. He was a Christian and part of the early church in Rome. He secretly gave gold to a family that really needed it. When people found out it also inspired them to give gifts and money by hiding them in shoes and socks or by the fireplace. Later he became known as the legend of Father Christmas and Sinterklaas. You know what happens to stories, they grow bigger and bigger and more and more exaggerated. Then somebody writes a book or movie that turns Saint Nicholas into a kind of superhero with a flying sleigh and the ability to pause time.

How is Jesus better than Santa? Jesus is really the one who watches over you with love. His love for you will never stop no matter what happens. It is Jesus who sees you when you’re sleeping and knows when you’re awake. He knows what you hope for in your heart. He hears your every silent prayer. He won’t forget you ever. He wants the best for you. He is the one who forgives you when you are not good. He is the creator of beautiful mansions. He is the highest king. He wants to rescue you from harm and adopt you into his family. He does not need reindeer to fly because the Holy Spirit comes to you instantly whenever you invite Him. His helpers are not elves, they’re angels. It is Jesus who lives forever and also gives us the power to become immortal. He is the mighty hero who defeated death. He will someday rule the earth and make things right and fair and good.

We know that some adults do not want to give up the tradition of Santa because it brings back such good memories of their carefree childhood and they want to pass that along to their children. They want to create a magical world for their kids, if only for just one day a year. They also know that it is really fun to give a gift and not tell who it is from. The bible talks about this too. It says don’t even let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. Now that’s sneaky!

But it is possible to include Santa in Christmas without making him the focus. My kids were preschool age when they asked if Santa was real and I quickly said, “No, Honey, That is just a game we play, so don’t tell anybody”. They seemed to like being in on the secret. Wink, wink. I want to always tell them the truth so they don’t get confused like I was.

And now you are in on the secret, too. But I bet you already knew.

Take a Deep Breath

Think with me for a moment: We read that God breathed into Adam and he became a living soul. Scientist tell us that when we take oxygen into our lungs it gets picked up by our blood stream and our heart pumps it through our entire body and nourishes every cell.

The definition of spirit is wind, breeze, or breath. We know God is a spirit- of the spirit world, not of earthly elements- but of another dimension that is invisible to our earthly eyes.

We also know that with his breath God spoke the words that created the world. The same breath he breathed into Adam. The same breath that brought fourth the words in the bible.

We can speak out those very words written long ago and speak the same words God spoke. In the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God. Spirit, breath, words.

With his breath he spoke to Mary and she became pregnant, creating within her the man who would have God’s spirit pulsing through his veins. The blood that Jesus shed during his unjust beatings was full of the holy spirit of God.

We can praise God with our spoken words and sing with our breath and breathe into ourselves his very presence. His spirit can flow in our veins like oxygen. It can pool in the chambers of our hearts until it gets pumped and propelled throughout our bodies.

The same spirit that raised Christ from the dead can dwell in us.

As Michael W. Smith wrote: This is the air I breathe, your holy presence living in me. This is my daily bread, your very word spoken to me. And I’m lost without you. And I’m desperate for you.

Immortality

We all want to live on forever. But could it really be possible? The truth is out there, but many are blind to it. It’s supernatural, and the only way to see it is if a ghost reveals it to you – the Holy Ghost.

There is only one human who has ever conquered death. He allowed himself to be killed. But because of heaven’s strong spirit within him, he came back to life in an eternal body that can never die again. His name is Jesus.

If you ask him to, the spirit of God will gently begin to show you hidden things that you were blinded to before. All we have to do is think, or say – “Jesus, I open my heart to you. I invite you to show me the truth, and only the truth, no tricks, no lies.”

When we invite God’s spirit into us we automatically become eternal souls. Bling. So easy, so natural. When the time comes for our bodies to taste death we will simply step into God’s kingdom as his sons and daughters. Loved and cherished. Respected and admired. We will receive new bodies that will live forever.

Jesus’s love will slowly begin to seep into every corner of your heart. He will help you heal from past hurts. And from the pain of being unloved, not good enough, forgotten, taken advantage of, or abandoned, anything-and everything that causes fear, because it is only his perfect and pure love that annihilates fear. He will slowly begin to turn confusion into wisdom and pain into peace. There is nothing on this earth more wonderful or more powerful than God’s love for you. Wouldn’t it be sad to never find it?

The earth at this time is very much ruled by evil and ciaos. We see it everyday. The earth is not operating the way God originally planned it for mankind. God is only allowed in our lives as we invite him to be. It is our choice. That is called free will. And if we decide not to make a choice, then evil is the default mode we receive.

God has an enemy. He wants to deceive us into thinking that sin is fun, but actually sin kills. Satan came to steal, kill and destroy, but Jesus came to give us life abundantly.

The Holy Spirit will also help us slowly begin to understand the ancient writings of the bible. They will bloom as a rose for us, one petal at a time.

And, yes, romantic love is great, but it does not take the place of the powerful, healing love that God has for us.

If it is so simple then how do we get so much religious junk and people who look down on others? I know we don’t want to become like that. That comes from people who begin by being led of God’s spirit within them, then somewhere along the line they stop listening and start making rules and standards and guidelines. There is only one guideline. Jesus. But remember, no matter how religious someone seems, God is still teaching them. No one on this earth has it all together.