Slow Down, Be in the Present, and Enjoy the Process

We live in a fast-paced society, so fast that we have more things to do in less time to do them.  Maybe not all of us but I sure feel that way.  There are days that I am so overwhelmed that I have to be told to breathe.  How does that happen?  How does one forget to breathe?!? 

I know as we get older time seems to be going faster than we care to admit.  Personally, this last year has been a blur.  I have been overfilling my calendar so much so that there were days that I was not only double booked, I was triple booked…ouch! 

I am an overachieving perfectionist that has (more than) a lot that I want to accomplish in my life.  I don’t want to live to be forgotten.  I want to leave a legacy to my children and grandchildren.  I want to be known for more than being a nice lady.  

However, when you are just going and going like the Energizer Bunny life will catch up to you and when it does you are going to find out exactly how much time you have wasted trying to do everything all at once.  Not to mention while you are trying to do it all, there is the “Life Happens” that is taking place around you. 

We have family and friends that have died.  We have family that my heart longs to see but are scattered about the country that require time and money to go see…I get panic stricken with just the thought on choosing whom I should go see…first.  UGH, the pressure of picking one family member over another! <breathe>    

There is stress at work, there is stress at home, there is stress in general everyday life and I just kept adding things to add more stress.    

You know what happens when you don’t have proper self-care?  You get depression and anxiety mixed together with an unhealthy dose of sadness.  That has been my life for longer than I care to think about.  As a child of God, I took my concerns to Papa God.

It has been a slow process however He has been ministering to me.  (*Why do we freak out when He doesn’t answer our prayers overnight?  It took a good long time to get where we are, it is going to take time to get back to where we need to be. We need to let Him minister to us at the pace that WE need Him to.  Our wounds need time to heal.  Amen?  Amen!)

This season God wants me to focus on the good…He said that those that have passed are with Him, they are happy and whole.  He wants me to be happy for them and quit focusing on my sadness that they aren’t with me anymore. 

I am not to focus on those loved ones I don’t get to see, I am to give those I am seeing all my love and attention.  Be in the moment with them and enjoy our time together.  Look them in the eyes when they are talking to me.  I am not to worry about what I am not getting done, but really give that person my full attention.  When we love people, we value them and their time! 

He has also shown me is that I need to start creating again.  When a creative doesn’t create they get depressed.  I have been doing as much as I can on my time off that I have been hurrying to get “this” done so I can work on “that” to get it done, and then to get the “other” completed…endless hamster wheel of self induced stress.

My body has been taking the brunt of all this stress.  On Sundays after church and the family meal, I crash.  I am a lump on some piece of furniture wondering if it is bedtime yet.  Just to jump back on the wheel getting it going again the following morning that starts the week. 

When I am on the proverbial hamster wheel I feel like I am just going through the motions.  I am not enjoying anything that I am doing, just working on them as fast as I can to get them completed so that I can work on the next thing.  Even doing something that I normally enjoy doing, I am just doing it to get it done and off the to-do list, it becomes a chore.  There is no joy when you work (or create) like that.

I asked God what does my next season look like?  The answer I got was to…slow down, live in the present and enjoy the process.  Get off the hamster wheel and live intentionally! 

I call myself a fabric artist and I haven’t given myself time to create art with fabric.  Even if I am not working on an art piece I have a ton of UFO (Un-Finished Objects) Quilts that are screaming to be completed…imagine what all I could complete if I actually gave myself permission to intentionally work on them?  The thought of actually enjoying the process of creating something beautiful with fabric has the excitement bubbling up in me. 

To help me start me off on the road to new habits and start my creative selfcare, I am going to set aside 30 minutes each day to create.  Not just create, but really tune into what I am doing.  Not thinking about what I need to check off my to do list or what chore is waiting for me but, totally focus on what I am working on.  This could be any activity that gives you joy. 

This morning I am writing this article.  I am noticing my breathing and heartbeat… I am paying attention to my fingers hitting the keyboard...clickity click click click.  I am listening to the worship music that is softly playing…and I also hear the quiet of morning that sets it apart from the evening. I feel the soft breeze coming through the open window.  I smell my coffee and the diffusor oil that is wafting through the air.  I am watching the words slowly manifest across the document.  I notice there is a rhythm of the morning that is filled with comfort and peace. 

I am not stressing about finishing the article by an imaginary deadline that I have put on myself.  I am enjoying the process of letting the thoughts flow onto the page.  There is a timer set so that I don’t get lost in my creative time as I still have to go about my normal day. 

I am making sure that as a creative I am getting my creative time in.  Shaking off the depression, not letting anxiety rise up.  Sadness has no place when the choice is joy.

Imagine if you will, if we took the time to enjoy everything that we do.  We wouldn’t have to stop and remember to lower our bucket down in our joy well as we would constantly be drinking it in…

Until next time, God Bless!

Waking Up

As I woke up this morning my heart ached as I realized that today is not only Resurrection Sunday but it also April Fool's Day.  Even 37 years later I still hurt as I did when I was 16 years old.  April 1st, 1981 my mama was taken to the hospital in a coma to die 10 days later on Resurrection Sunday.  

Both days have always been hard for me.  How ironic that they are both sharing the same day on the calendar this year.  

I didn't wait to get out of bed before I asked God what it was like when she opened her eyes and saw Heaven.  Before He could show me anything, I asked Him what it was like for Jesus waking up from being crucified.  Next thing you know I am asking question after question like a toddler who is seeking to learn new things.  When I get excited I not only talk a lot but I also speak really fast.

What I saw was my Father smiling at me waiting for me to take a breath.  That sight warmed my heart.  He looked at me with such patience and so lovingly that I shut up, soaking that in. 

As a parent I know that even though my children are adults, they are still my babies.  I love them like no other.  It is hard for me not to still see them as 2, 3, and 5 years old.  

I like to think that is the same way with Papa God over me.  He doesn't see the 52 year old lady, He sees His little girl who needs His love, patience and all the guidance that she can get.

Life has been hard lately.  We have had a lot of deaths in our circle of family and friends in the last couple years that I have felt my joy slip further and further away.  I am so tired of my heart being bruised and broken...<breathe>  I found myself speaking the words, "Daddy here is my broken heart, fix it please."

Next thing I knew I was opening my eyes and I saw His face close up to mine.  I felt like I was a newborn baby opening their eyes for the first time and having their parents looking at them with such fullness of joy.

I flashed on the moment of Creation when God breathed life into Adam.  When He opened His eyes and seeing the face of the Father and said, "Abba."  

Peace engulfed me as I saw my mama opening her eyes and seeing the face of the Father.  How awesome is that thought?!?!

You close your eyes on earth and open them in Heaven with the Father looking back filled with such emotions that He is overwhelmed by the love He feels for you.  He doesn't even have to tell you that He loves you as you can see it as plain as if He spoke the words.  His heart is full of joy because you are His child.  You didn't even have to do anything to earn His love, He just loves you.

Then I heard in my spirit, "Child, every time you open your eyes I am right here waiting for your eyes to focus on Me. I am here, I never leave.  Open your eyes, I am here."

After my warm fuzzy moment with Papa, it dawned on me why I love mornings. I get to wake up to Him.  I get to climb up in His lap telling Him, "Good morning daddy, where are we going today, who are we going to love on today, who are we going to bless, how, what, when..."  

I don't have to wait for Heaven, I get to wake up to the Father's face every morning.  His love surrounds me as I go about life.  Waking up just got even more exciting for me!

I pray that you enjoy waking up to His face too, knowing that He loves you like no other.

Until Next Time, God Bless!

Destiny Awaits

For the past couple weeks every time I have been in my car alone, I have seen an airplane flying over.  With me living around 6 miles away from the local airport you would think that would be an everyday occurrence, however it is not.  Last night as I was leaving church, the plane I saw was so close that I could almost count the windows.  It just took my breath away as it was such a powerful scene.  

I had to ask God, "Ok Papa, what is with all the planes?  What are You trying to tell me?"  All I heard was, "Your Destiny Awaits."  

My dream is to travel the world telling everyone about the love of God.  I dream to be a radical evangelist like Todd White (without the dreadlocks, sorry Todd) praying for the sick and non-believers...having their lives be totally transformed because they encountered God through my introducing them through prayer.  If I don't start praying for people how can God use me like He uses Todd? 

Everything I do today (and tomorrow) is working toward that.

What do I mean by that?  Every instruction from God that we obey gets us a step or so closer to our destiny.  Whether the instructions or big or small we need to obey.  

This whole year has been a season of just obeying what He directs me to do.  Nothing has gone according to "my" detailed plan that I do every year to maximize my life.  Everything that I wanted to focus on He has removed from my line of sight.  Even with my sewing ministry, what I wanted to work on isn't a priority right now.  He has me doing something totally different and out of my wheelhouse.  I am loving it.  

Which is hard for me to comprehend as I am a planner, I need structure and I am not comfortable flying by the seat of my pants.  (*When God answers your prayers to wreck you for Him, He will mess with all areas of your comfort zone...lol)

The last six months, my passion to create with Him has been on fire that I can't control it.  It is all I can think about and how I want to spend all my free time.  

In the past few weeks, there has been a huge shift in what He has me doing.  Getting into my car and following my God GPS...I drive where He directs and do what He tells me to do.  

In the natural I feel like I am doing a lot of nothing and wasting precious time, but in the supernatural I know He is working something behind the scenes.  He just needs my cooperation and obedience.   

Who knows why I needed to sit with that person at the park, keeping them company until someone they knew showed up.  Who knows why I needed to go to that particular pharmacy for my lip balm so that I could give my card to a stranger that approached my car because she saw my ministry info on it and wanted help on learning to sew.   

Who knows why I went to the places I don't normally go to do what I don't normally do?  I will tell you WHO!  God knows.  Whether it was to bless those folks or it was to see if I would follow His lead out of my comfort zone...God knows and that is all I need to know.  If He wants to tell me why, He will tell me.  I will continue to do what He asks as I know that He is going to show up and I want to see it.  

The bible tells us in Zechariah 4:10 not to despise small beginnings.  

Every little thing that God has us doing is part of His plan for furthering His Kingdom. I have been following Him where ever He has been leading me.  Even on our little road trips around town, God and I are on a journey together.  If I don't obediently follow Him around town how can He expect me to follow Him around the country or the world?  

What destination are your dreams taking you?  What are you doing today to get you there?

Ask God what He needs you to do, ask Him what steps you are to take to get you going in the right direction.  Each step we take is a step closer to where He wants to take us.  

Our Destiny Awaits...are you ready?  Let's go God, let's go!

Until Next Time, God Bless!

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!