Kingdom Empowerment

Recently I had the privilege and the honor to attend the School of Creativity Conference at Bethel Church in Redding, California.  You talk about an empowering conference, this takes the cake!  I really don't think there ever could be a better conference for a child of God to attend.  I may be biased as I was among my people - other creatives that hunger for more of what God has planned for them.

Over the years, I have learnt to carry a recorder with me so that if I am receiving a prophetic word from someone, I can record it as I won't remember what was said when I walk away.  I don't want to miss out on a single word.  The recorder helps with that.

For the first time since getting home a little over a month ago I was able to sit down and listen to the recordings.  I am in tears of all the different words that were spoken over me.  I feel like I am being empowered all over again.  (Look out world I am coming for you as I have been empowered to do so!)

Our God is such an exciting God.  He is not predictable nor is He ever boring.  He will use His children (in countless ways) to edify each other.  No matter what role we play in the Kingdom of God we are to build up our brothers and sisters in the faith as we spread the love of Christ. 

As I sat here in tears asking God what is it that you want me to do now that I have re-heard all these words.  God reminded me that I only recorded the words that I received.  I didn't record the words that I gave out.  Not that He needs me to record what I say...   He was pointing out to me that not only was I being empowered by the students of the School of Creativity; I was also empowering those that I spoke to.  (Again the tears flowed). 

He reminded me of "our" encounter.  The whole conference was beyond my wildest dreams.  I went expectant to be activated in my creative gifts and talents while at Bethel.  On the last day, as I stood there at the conference I was asking Him to activate me in my writing and my fabric art in ways I can't comprehend; He responded with, "Baby, you've already been activated in those gifts, you're doing them now!  You came to be activated in your love for others.  Not the folks that you already know, but strangers that would become instant friends/family."  

He reminded me of all those strangers that I approached and loved on for Him.  He reminded me that as I followed His lead, I stepped out of my comfort zone and activated (empowered) a new gift.  Loving on folks that I knew or approached me was one thing, approaching strangers to love on was a different story.  This was huge for me!  

The Kingdom has endless resources and we as children of the King have access to everything that It has to offer.  Our Father the King has given us permission to use all resources that we desire.  The wonderful thing about our generous Father is that none of His kids will be left out.  He is not a favor of persons.  What He does for one, He will do for all.  

A few of my personal "living" heroes are Bill Johnson, Shawn Bolz and Todd White.  God has empowered them in ways that I dream about.  You did it for them God, You can do it for me also, I want that Papa, I want to bless the world like that!!!  The awesome thing about God is that He wants me to have that too, even more than I do!  

What I love about our Kingdom family is that there is no sibling rivalry.  We get excited for each other.  We build each other up.  We help the Father empower our brothers and sisters as they help Him empower us.  

Please know that in the Kingdom of God we don't have to wait for a brother or a sister to empower us.  We don't have to wait for someone to give us a word.  You want something from God; go after it with all the tenacity of a dog going after a bone.  Give it your all.  Don't let anyone try to discourage you or take it from you.  After all God wants to empower you with that more than you want to be empowered with it.  

Are you ready for your Kingdom Empowerment - it's ready for you.

Until Next Time, God Bless!

Relationship with the King

Lately I have been speaking with people on "keeping it simple" with God.  We as humans, tend to over-complicate things in our walk with God.  

I too was very guilty of this.  Trying to go to prayer, being rigid on worshiping for this amount of time, praying for that amount of time, praying this way and not that.  I would type out my prayer like a meeting agenda.  My need for structure on top of my being an overly organized planner had everything lined out and timed so that I made sure that God got His time with me before I was off and running in my overly busy lifestyle.

I struggled in prayer and worshiped as I thought I had to have the perfect "God" formula.  I would go to the godly powerhouses in my life and would watch them in their prayer and worship trying to imitate their time with God.  If it worked for them, it must work for me.  (Talk about a religious mindset, right?!?)

Nothing worked for me.  I thought there was something wrong with me.  I wasn't hearing from this God that the Bible said wanted a relationship with me.  I had my prayer recipe and tried following it to the letter.  I was being told that I needed to pray in tongues for "x" amount of time and then you need to pray for this amount of time.  You need to do this, you need to do that.

Friend, I tell you I have tried it all!  I was starving for this relationship with God that I was willing to try anything.  I wanted to be His friend like Abraham, I wanted to spend forty days straight with Him like Moses, and I definitely wanted to be like David who was a man after God's own heart!  If these Bible heroes could have a relationship with God before Jesus then I should have a better one after Jesus!

I can tell you the very first time I heard His voice, and that I knew that it was Him.  It was so awesome that I laughed and cried the whole night as we had this conversation.  I didn't sleep a wink that night and had so much energy the next morning that I wanted more!  No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't recreate it.  

Long story somewhat short, this has been a five year process.  Now when I don't hear from Him, I panic and freak out a bit.  

You want to formula to having a relationship with God...start treating Him the way you want Him to treat you.

You want Him to love on you, love on Him.  You want Him to talk to you, start talking to Him.  Just as you would a friend or family member that is in the room because He is.  Tell Him how great He is.  Tell Him how much you appreciate everything He does as soon as you recognize it.  As you are driving to work, turn off the car radio and talk to God just as you would talk to anyone who was in the passenger seat.  

Don't give Him part of your day, give it all to Him.  Ask Him what to wear and what He thinks that you look good in.  Ask what He thinks about what ever you are thinking about.  (Wives you will get a better response from Him than you will your husbands as He cares about "everything" that you care about!)   When we include Him in what we think is "un-important" mundane items, it shows Him how "important" He is to us.

Don't over-complicate this relationship just because He is God.  Don't over-think it because He is the Sovereign King.   Don't try to analyze Him or put Him in a box.  Let God be God, He is good at it.  

He wants a relationship with you more than you want one with Him.  Let that resonate in your spirit.  Our perfect God that created the universe wants us to love Him more than anything.  You don't have to earn it.  You don't have to do anything but talk to Him.  Leave the "Christian-ese" at the door as He doesn't speak it.  He speaks love as that is what He is, LOVE.  

You want to touch His heart?  Ask yourself how do small children touch their parents hearts like no other?  They want their parents to see everything they do.  They ask their parents a million questions.  They want their parents to take part in their playing.  They want their parents to hear them sing and watch them dance.  They want to be picked up and held by their parents so that they can love on them.  They want to be as close to their parents as possible.  Children love with no agenda.

Love on God for no reason except for the fact that you love Him.  Lift your hands in praise as You want Him to pick you up to be closer to Him.  Dance with Him.  Tell Him how good or bad your day was.  Tell Him what irritated you and what pleased you.  Tell Him how much you are grateful for Him and what He has done for you...that alone will have the conversation lasting a good long time.  

Remember when we were in school and our teachers would tell us to KISS our problems..."Keep it Simple Sweetie".  Same thing with God, keep it simple.  Just talk.  No formula, no formality.  Just open your mouth and let the words out.  

He is not like the kings and presidents of this world.  God is approachable, you don't need an appointment.  The veil has been torn, His door is always open.  He is looking forward to you coming to see Him.  

The more you include Him the more you are going to hear from Him.  It is that simple. 

The relationship that you have always wanted with God is waiting for you.  

Until Next Time, God Bless!

The King's Kid

Lately I have been reflecting on the truth that I am a child God and He loves me.  I am a royal child (a princess) of the King of kings and the Lord of lords.  I am the King's Kid!  

Have you ever thought about what it means to be a child of God, to be a King's Kid?  Bear with me as I break down my perspective on what it means to have God as a Father.  

His word tells us that His mercies are new every morning.  Every morning we wake up to the Father who says that we are His beloved children in whom He is well pleased!  He loves us. 

Father God loved us so much, felt that we are so worthy of His love that He sent Jesus to be the Ultimate (Final) Sacrifice for our sins.  

Let that resonate in your spirit for a minute.  Even if there was just you, He still would have sent Jesus to save you!

He thought about each one of us before He created time.  He created us to be His kids.  He planned for us, none of us are a mistake, no matter what our earthly parents made have said or felt!  We were loved and planned before anything ever existed by God - the God that created the universe!  How awesome is that?!?! 

He loved us first.  So when we tell God “I love You!” we are actually saying, “I love You too Papa God, I love You TOO!”

Coming into the realization that we are His son or daughter is sometimes hard to wrap our limited thinking brains around.  I would like to suggest to you that we just need to just accept our “sonship” and not over think it.  (Galatians 3:26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus)  Men are the brides of Christ and women are the sons of God.

Do you realize that Father God loves us as much as He loves Jesus? 

In John 17:23 Jesus tells the Father, “I in them and You in Me that they may be made perfect in one, that the world may know that You have sent Me and have THEM as YOU have loved Me.”  

As a person who used to strive to be everyone’s favorite everything, this realization helped heal me of my spirit of abandonment and delivered me from the orphan spirit that plagued me most of my life.  Father God loves me as much as He loves His Son Jesus.  WHOA.  Jesus is God and Papa God loves me as much as Jesus?!?!    

Wipe your tears and breathe that in…The Father loves you that much!  HE LOVES YOU!

We don’t have to earn it, just be it.  We are human BEings, not human DOings.  We don’t have to “do” anything but love Him.  That is all the King wants is for His kids to love Him.  He already loves us!

Know who you are.  You are a child of God Who loves you; you are the King’s Kid.

Until Next Time, God Bless!

Kingdom Atmosphere

I just love that song "When You Walk Into the Room" as it speaks about everything changing as Jesus walks in.  Think about this for a moment with me.  As He walks into the room darkness not only trembles, it flees.  Sickness is removed and restoration starts to take place.  The lame walk.  Broken hearts are repaired.  The dead come to life because of Who He is.  HE IS GOD!

The image that pops into my mind is the C.S. Lewis story about Narnia.  As Aslan the Lion is walking through a space of nothingness, he is singing.  As he sings life starts spring forth like a picture starts to be created when an artist starts painting a canvas.  He sang life into existence.  The kingdom of Narnia was thus created.  I just love that image as that is how I see God.

As He moves through the universe, life starts to exist.  The void cannot remain, as God is the Creator, the nothing has to turn into something. That is His very nature as Creator.  

As our King of kings come through His Kingdom the very atmosphere has to change, not to remain the same.  How can it?  As He is God.  The rocks will sing His praises, mountains will move, waters will obey Him as they recognize Who He Is!

When we are in the presence of God how can we remain the same?  If the atmosphere cannot help but change as God is there, how can we think that we can?  

We as Christians have the Holy Spirit dwelling in us.  We are His temple...we are a personal room He enters...our life changes from the inside out.  

The Kingdom Atmosphere isn't just in the church building during service, or at a Christian Conference or even a Revival Meeting.  The Kingdom Atmosphere is where ever we are when we invite Him to come have His way.  It is everywhere that we share Him with those around us.  Where ever we go we take the Kingdom Atmosphere with us.  The Kingdom Atmosphere is where ever we pray, praise, worship.  How we do that is between us and Him.  

Personally, I talk to Him all day long.  I don't get up in the morning without telling Him, "Good morning Papa God, I love You.  I look forward to our day together!  Who are we going to bless today?" and I don't go to bed without telling Him, "Good night Daddy, I love you.  What a great day we had, I look forward to tomorrow with You!"  All day long I speak to Him as I would my very best friend.  Actually, I talk to Him more than I do my friends as I am not good about picking up a phone to call my friends when I think about them.  However with God I just start talking as I know He is always with me.  It doesn't matter if I am alone in the physical or not.  I love Him that much!

How can the atmosphere where we are not be radically changed as God is always where He is welcomed, honored and deeply loved?  God come and have your way, AMEN!

My friends, I invite you to change your world around you by inviting God to rock your world and let Him change it by bringing His Kingdom Atmosphere.

Until Next Time, God Bless!

Sorrow to Joy

This morning I turned on my (Bethel Music) worship music and the song I clicked on didn't play but another one did, "In Your Light".  Okay God it is Your worship time and if that is what You want me to worship to, so be it!  

In Your light I find my strength
In Your truth I overcome
In Your grace I lose myself
For in Your love

You've turned my tears of sadness
Into such joy and gladness
My heart can't keep it in I'm shouting, shouting

In Your joy I find my strength
In Your hope I overcome
In Your grace I lose myself
For in Your love

As always it was just what I needed.  It has been a tough month for my family.   We lost my older sister, who was taken home too soon because of cancer.  My heart is breaking that she isn't here, but I know that she is home with Jesus and that gives me some sort of peace.  My prayers of health and healing for her were answered, just not in this realm.  She is no longer in pain, she is no longer sick and she gets to dance with Jesus.

In the past I would have wallowed in my sorrow just soaking in my misery.  Things have changed since I have learnt to just hand it all over to Jesus.  (Psalm 55:22)  If God wants my troubles, He can have them!  Seriously, not trying to be sarcastic or even disrespectful of God.  His shoulders are way bigger than mine.  He wants me (us) to give it all to Him and I (we) just need to let go of it, to let Him do what He does.  (Let go and Let God)

The day she died, I cried.  I jumped off my sobriety wagon into a bag of chips and a big tub of dip.  (My sister was the one that introduced me to my favorite comfort food...seem a little apropos don't you think?)  

I played worship music and just talked to God.  Asking Him, "Should I have done more?  Didn't I believe enough?  Did I not pray enough?"  I just needed Papa God to comfort me.  

To the outside world it may have looked like I was internalizing my pain.  Jesus said that He had to go so that the Comforter can come.  Jesus knew that we would need a Comforter and I was taking Him up on that promise.  I wanted Him to comfort me.  I wanted Him to heal my broken heart.  I wanted Him to fulfill all of His promises.  If God said it, I believe it and that settles it!

The following morning as I woke up the Holy Spirit whispered come worship and I saw my worship flag.  I jumped out of bed, grabbed the flag and turned up the worship music so I could hear it out on my deck where there is room to dance with a flag.  I worshiped and I praised God for healing.  I told Him thank You for restoration.  I thanked Him for resurrection of all that is dead.  

That was when He answered my questions from the previous day.  "Baby girl, I answered your prayers.  Your sister is healed, she is restored and she is resurrected!  She is no longer in pain, I have her.  I just didn't answer your prayer to your will, but Mine.  You did everything I asked you to do.  You did well.  You are just sad that she isn't healed, your way.  It is okay, she is with Me."

As you can imagine I cried in humility...then I worshiped Him some more.  

That night I told my church that she had gone and how she was ready to go in all aspects.  As I looked around the room I told them that we are not guaranteed our next day or even our next breath, "Are you ready?  Please be ready!"  After service a person came forward and rededicated their life to Jesus.  AMEN!  My sister is dancing with the angels celebrating that another person has come back to God's Family.  Call me simple minded but that right there tells me that my most beloved sister didn't die in vain!  

There is a difference between doing the act of worship and being a worshiper.  I don't just worship in church before the message.  I live a life of worship.  I thank God each morning that I wake up after I tell Him, "Good morning God, I love You!"  I thank Him for everything that happens during my day.  I thank Him for things that don't happen.  Even for things that I really wanted to happen that didn't.  I thank Him.  I thank Him for answered prayers...even if I don't like the answer.  He is so good, He is so loving.  Even if He didn't bless me with another thing, I would thank Him as He is so worthy!  

I thank Him for the life of my sister.  I thank Him that she was on this earth 59 wonderful years.  I thank Him for all the lives that she blessed by her just being her!  She was a great big sister.  She was a wonderful mother to her son who has turned out to be an awesome young man.  She was a fabulous friend and mentor.  I thank Him for her life and that He brought her into ours.

If I wasn't a worshiper, I don't think I could have survived this season.  It still hurts, but my broken heart is being filled with Jesus who is healing me from the inside out.  He is turning my sorrow into joy, AMEN!

I pray that if your heart is broken, full of sorrow.  Please give it to God, let Him heal you from the inside out.  He wants to comfort you, let Him.

Until Next Time, God Bless!

Phony Facade

As I look at my Facebook profile and cover picture I just shake my head in disbelief of the phony facade that I am portraying.  Sure it is the holidays, sure my house looks festive…over the top festive even, and yes I am having moments here and there that have me excited and happy.  But the truth of the matter is that I am not.  There has not been a day this past week that I haven’t cried (sobbed) in loneliness and heartbreak.

I am a wife, mother of three, grandmother of six…about to be seven, I have lots of friends, I have a ministry that loves on lots and lots of folks.  I have people that smile when they see me and give me a hug telling me that they are glad they ran into me.   And yet I sit here in tears aching from the loneliness of the holidays.

I'm putting my foot down, I’m done being lonely!  I have family and yet I am alone during my favorite time of the year!  No need to explain the circumstances as too many others would be hurt if the situation changed so that I could have my family around me.  So we let it be.  Kids grow up, have family and plans...it is just how it is.

There are lots of folks that have invited me over for Christmas.  I have been adopted by several families.  Why do I need to be adopted?  I have family!  Why Papa, why?

I sat here crying out to Papa God, begging Him to heal my broken heart and to wipe my tears.  To help me not feel so lonely as I have Him.  Isn’t that enough?

He tells me that I am never alone and forsaken.  That He has plans for me.  That it is okay.  It gets better.  He tells me that I am tired and that I need to rest.  I hear him say...Rest in Me and let Me rejuvenate me.  Enjoy this time when it is just you and I, soak Me in.  It won’t always be this way, enjoy Me.  Soon there will be a time that you are surrounded with your earthly family…enjoy this alone time with Me.  I love you!

Okay…I am breathing now.  The tears are dried.  And I feel His overwhelming love! The loneliness has faded into the background.  The joy of the Lord is my strength!  AMEN!

I am reminded of my friend Charity’s drawing she drew yesterday in Church.  It is the picture above with this word she was given, “God goes before you, and He will never abandon you!  God is bringing family restoration to His church body, healing hearts and drawing the body together as a family.  He is also bringing restoration to individual families!!! Amen!”

I am standing on that word.  I am believing God for that promise!  Amen!

If you are alone this Christmas season (or everyday), please know that you are really never alone.  God loves you.  You don’t need to put on the phony façade.  Tell Him how you are feeling and He will make you feel better.  It might not be what you think will make you feel better, but it is better.  As He will give you Himself.  What more could we ask for?!?!

Until Next Time, God Bless!

Hunt for the One

Every year I have a Christmas luncheon for the ladies in my life.  Celebrating our love and friendship as we celebrate the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ.  My favorite part of the luncheon is the ornament exchange game.  I love that game!  The only time that stealing is allowed and really encouraged.  Lots of fun.  

What is even more fun for me than my favorite party game is the hunt for the perfect ornament.  I start looking for the "ONE" in October when the stores first start displaying Christmas decorations.  

It is all about the hunt for the one.  The one that everyone wants.  The one that will be stolen in great fun.  

I hit all the craft fairs and expos searching for the one.  I hit all the stores and even venture into the mall.  I am not a mall person so you know that finding the one is important to me.  Until I find it, I don't stop shopping for it.  I buy back ups, but until the one is found...I keep hunting and searching.

This year was no different except that the luncheon was in less than a week and I hadn't found the one.  I had lots of ornaments to give out at the party but I hadn't found the one that would be mine for the game.

It was Tuesday before my party, running out of time I went to the mall.  I don't like using my lunch hour during the holidays to shop the mall.  It is crowded and I will be in a hurry to get back to work in time.  

I started with JCPennys they had some good contenders but not the one.  Next was Macy's Home Store.  They had some that I really liked for individuals, but not the one for my party.  For the first time going to Bed, Bath and Beyond I was highly disenchanted with their Christmas selection.  Moving on.  I went to Evangel, if for nothing else I needed a gift for a dear friend.

As I was perusing the tree, I found some nice ones.  Some that could be the one, but it was not obvious.  At the back of the tree I saw a pretty blue ornament with holly leaves on it, with a Dr. Suess type hanger on it.  Very cute.  I felt a strong urge to take a closer look at this cute Dr. Suess-esque type feel to it.  As I turned it around I read the front, "Christmas is not about the presents, it's about His Presence."  

THAT'S IT!  THAT IS THE ONE!  I HAVE FOUND THE ONE!!!  

The cute ball that I really wasn't really giving a second thought to, turned out to be the perfect one, the one that I had been hunting for.  The search was over I had found for what I was searching for.

Even though my party is over and the ornament has a new home with a family that I dearly love, I can't stop thinking about it.  In particular the hunt for it.  

You see life is like my ornament hunt.  We all are searching for something, someone.  We have a deep, deep desire to find it.  We may not know what it is, but we know that it is out there.  We can feel it calling us, deep to deep.  Drawing us out of where ever we are to find it.

We all were created to be in relationship with God.  We are searching for Him even if we don't know it.  He is calling us.  Those times that we can't sleep at 2:00 in the morning, He wants to talk.  He wants to love on us.  He wants US!  

He is our One that we are searching for.  He is the One that we need.  He is the Hole in our lives that we are trying to fill.  

Oh, we try to fill that hole with the might-be's.  Nothing is quite right, we are still searching.  

Maybe this person is the one.  

Maybe this drug is the one.  

Maybe I will find the one in the bottom of this bottle.  

How about...nope keep searching.

We will try to shove that square peg into that round hole until we find the one to fill that hole.  Nope that doesn't fit right, keep looking.  Keep searching.

However there is only One that is meant to fill our hole.  His name is Jesus.  He is what we all are searching for.  He is the One!  

I pray that if you are on the hunt for the One, the search is over.  He is here for you.  His arms are outstretched to welcome you home.  All you need to do is ask Him.  

"Father God, I have recognized that I am a sinner.  I repent of all my sins.  I confess with my mouth, that Jesus Christ is my Lord and my Savior.  Jesus come into my heart, AMEN, AMEN, AMEN!!!"

I love you.  Welcome to the Royal Family of God.  We now are on a new hunt.  We are now searching for those that are lost.  Bringing them back to the One they are seeking.  

Until Next Time, God Bless!!!

Here is a picture of the front of the "one" ornament.