Freedom

About three years ago God whispered something to me that has echoed in my spirit ever since I heard it. "Walk free," He said. I looked around me and within me and gave him all the reason why I couldn't. His reply to all my reasons was, "Walk free." It's been a journey the past 24 years since I asked Jesus to be Lord of my life. A journey of freedom. I've been bound by fears, doubts, and insecurities for most my life. It's been a daily struggle. I get tired. God tells me, "Walk free." I'm actual beginning to see a light at the end of the tunnel. I'm a slow learner. I can finally really see who He has called me to be. I'm finally really letting the chains fall. My head is high and I am walking free. Who am I? I am His child. I am fully loved. Completely accepted. Completely forgiven. Completely set free.

Once I was broken, now I am restored. Once I was sad, now I can rejoice. Once I was afraid, now I have confidence. Once my hands hung down, now my hands are raised to Him. Once I felt usless, now I am worthy. He has given me Life. A life to walk out in freedom.

Isaiah 61 tells me what to do as I walk:

The Spirit of the Lord is on me because He has anoited me. He sent me to preach good news to the poor, heal the heartbroken, announce freedom to all captives, pardon all prisoners. God sent me to announce the year of His grace, and to comfort all who mourn. To care for those in need. To bring a message of joy instead of doom. To encourage those who are discouraged.

Walk free and bring freedom to others. What a wonderful message God speaks. Walk free.

I love trees. God tells us we are trees of righteousness. In Isaiah 61:3 it says, To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified. Our healing, our growth, our joy, our praise is all to give Him glory. Our lives are to be walked out to give God the glory. How am I walking? Am I glorifying God in my life. Am I walking in truth, mercy, justice? Micah 6:8 says:

He has showed you, O man, what is good.

And what does the LORD require of you?

To act justly and to love mercy

and to walk humbly with your God.

So simply. Yet I fall short daily. I want my heart to break for what breaks God's heart. I want to have the courage to stand up for truth in the midst of opposition. I want to show mercy to those who need mercy. I don't want to turn my head away from those who make me uncomfortable. Because, truly, that's where I find Jesus. He is with the broken hearted, the sick, the poor, the needy, the oppressed. He is there wanting to give them joy, healing, praise, and beauty. He gave it to me. He wants me to give out what He has given to me. He did this work in me so that He can be glorified. The world needs to see Him. How can they see him? Through us. Through me. Through you. Don't let fear stop you. Take courage. He is with you every step of the way. Face what is before you with confidence that He is with you.

We are trees planted by water. God is our living water. Psalms 1:3 says:

And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

God is with you. His life sustains us. So that He can be glorified.

Proof that I live with a bunch of turkeys!

Anna's go-cart!

Anna at Fieldhaven Cat Rescue

Some of Anna's many lapbooks!

Jesus Loves The Little Children

All the little children of the world.  My heart was broken last year for the children of Cambodia who are sold into prostitution.  Young girls, as young as 5, are put into brothels to be sold to mostly white, America men.  Look at those faces. Look at those precious children that God made. How could someone hurt a child like that? Sin is so horrible and ugly.  How God's heart must break over these precious children.  How He must long to hold them and heal their hurts.  We are His arms.  We are called to heal the broken hearts.  We are called to set the captive free. Please visit this website and learn more:http://aim4asia.org/

He Restores My Soul

Psalm 23

A psalm of David.

 1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.

 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, 

   He leads me beside quiet waters, 

 3 He restores my soul. 

I believe God spoke the word RESTORE to me for 2009.  Each year I ask God for a word that will speak to my heart and become very real to me in a new way.  God promises in Joel 2:25 that He will restore the years the locust has destroyed. Areas in my body, soul, and spirit that have been wounded or destroyed by the enemy will be restored. That's a precious promise.  I looked the word RESTORE up in the dictionary and the definitions were numerous.  I'll list a few:

1. To return to a person, as a specific thing which he has lost, or which has been taken from him and unjustly detained. 

2. To replace; to return; as a person or thing to a former place.

3. To heal; to cure; to recover from disease.

4. To repair; to rebuild

5. To revive, to resuscitate; to bring back to life

6. To return of bring back after abscence

7. To renew or re-establish after interuption

I'm with an expectant heart waiting to see what and how God will restore areas the locust has stolen from me. 

Favorite songs right now:

Some of my favortie songs:

Letting Go

In 2008 I lost many things that were precious to me.  It was a year of letting go.  It was a year of breaking, and it was a year of sitting and just "being with Jesus".  God spoke to me at the beginning of 2008 that He was Emmanuel~God with us.  I had no idea how much I was going to need that to hang on to.   He walked and carried me right through this year.  One thing I lost this year was our beautiful cat, Hobbes, pictured above.  Hobbes came to us two years ago the day after New Years.  He showed up as a little kitten on our doorstep.  We immediately fell in love with him and felt like God had dropped a gift to us.  God does that~He gives and He takes away.  Job says it well when he said:

 “I came naked from my mother’s womb, and I will be naked when I leave. The Lord gave me what I had, and the Lord has taken it away. Praise the name of the Lord!”

We lost Hobbes in October of 2008.  We prayed and prayed, but he was gone.  It might seem silly to some of you that I have grieved over a cat so, but I did.  And I hurt even more for my youngest who grieved even more than I did.  It's such a helpless feeling to watch your child hurt so and not be able to fix it.  Losing Hobbes somewhat represented to me the many things we lost this year that were dear to us.   Through it all I have had to trust that God sees the bigger picture and His purposes will be revealed in His time.  I have had to give up control and truly trust the One who is trustworthy. I wish I could say I did this gracefully, but I didn't.  I struggled.  I wrestled. I cried.  I thought of Jacob who wrestled with God, and when it was over, he walked away with a limp.  He walked away broken, and he walked away touched by God.  I pray that I am walking out of 2008 with a limp, but closer to God.  I do know that I am walking away knowing that God is Emmanuel.  He is with me. 

Christmas 2008