Come Your Kingdom~ On Earth, as it is in Heaven

Now I see

Now I understand

Now it makes sense.....

What a truly wonderful thing it is to have your eyes opened~
to see the world with new eyes,
in a new light,
to begin to grasp how things were meant to be~
and made to be.

Oh, if we would take the time to listen,
what a wonderful sound we would hear as creation sings her song so loud and clear!

This is my journey

For so many years, my spirit has been testifying to truth all around me
sometimes i listened, sometimes i didn't. 
a few days ago, actually, Easter Sunday, 
I was on a walk with my dogs out on our country road when The Lord gave me this simple revelation~
~~Much like oxygen is to the body~ 
~so are the ways of the Kingdom to this earth we call home~~ 
I'll break it down:
Our bodies function poorly at best, and only for a short time, when they are depleted of oxygen. 
Bodies will begin to deteriorate rapidly without it~
that is the way that they were designed to be
In retrospect~ 
our bodies function marvelously when plenty of oxygen is present
we thrive when oxygen is in abundant supply~
Yes?
its a simple example, 
however most look right past it and are unable to make the connection. 

The Kingdom of God is like oxygen to us and the world we find ourselves calling home~
without an abundance of the Kingdom coming to Earth
we are depleted of the very thing that we were meant to thrive upon! 

we, who know the King and His Kingdom 
have been given the charge and really, privilege 
to act as "portals" for the Kingdom of Heaven to invade earth~

These scriptures, 
however random they may seem at first glance,
they hold so much of this truth of purpose and thriving in the land!

"For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who is children really are"- Romans 8:19
"So we are Christ's ambassadors; God is making His appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead "Come back to God!" 2 Corinthians 5:20
"I will put my instructions deep within them, and i will write them on their hearts" - Jeremiah 31:33 

O, that we would be a people who thrive on the earth! 
I do not think anyone would argue with me when i say that we, as humans do not thrive on hatred, or darkness or jealousy, or envy, or war, or disease... 
do these sound familiar?
they are a part of the kingdom of darkness
The funny thing is,
 we all know at the core of who we are that we do thrive on kindness, on goodness, on peace and love, and gentleness... 
do these sound familiar too?
they are the Kingdom of Light
the Kingdom of Heaven!

Look at slowly these two photos~
search within you and understand the emotion/feeling/thoughts that come when looking at them. 

His word~ His ways, they have been written on our hearts
You can feel it as you cast your eyes on these images.
We weren't make to live in death, but life!
the amazing thing is that
it is possible here and now to experience this life, 
we just have to embrace it, 
we have to believe it!

I want to be alive

I was on a call recently, where a kid was slammed on narcotics. 

Something he said stalled me for a moment in time, I desperately wanted to reach into his life and bring the hope to him of True Life that is found in Christ...

His statement rang down deep into the depths of my soul- how many times have I

cried out those very words... how many people in this world cry out that same

cry unbeknownst to them?

This kid looked at me, with pleading eyes and said;

"I don't feel alive. I want to be alive!"

How many times do we find ourselves trudging through life, going through the motions, but never really engaging ourselves in them- and then one day- for but a moment even we see ourselves beside ourselves looking at our lives and only seeing grey... at that moment someplace deep within our spirits pull on our minds- pleading with us

"I don't feel alive! I want to be alive!!"

Oh that I would never resolve to live out one more day of this precious life dead.

But that I would live and bring that very life to others!

That's that gospel.

Life.

I've tried and still find myself sometimes trying to fill my life with things that the world deems as "life-giving"

but those things only leave you more hungry and more empty.

Jesus is the only Life source that brings lasting fulfillment - none other can compare.

Everything else seems so cheap and unfulfilling.

These counterfits we so habitually scramble for boil my blood!

For the waste, they steal and kill and destroy so many lives.

Oh that we would turn to the Truth

that He would set us FREE and give us Life that lasts and that sharpens us into life givers!

Hunger to Live in the Raw

I had this dream the other night that would have, in the past, crippled me in fear,

but the funny thing is- this time it didn't. 

It did quite the opposite to me- 

it gave me a hunger for more exposure in life that makes one feel truly alive.

That dream brought back to life a spark of adventure in my heart that I 

had let fear cripple for far too long.

During my first trip overseas something within me died.

 As I saw all the pain around me and watched as evil ran rampant, unchecked and unchallenged

my heart began to fear the world- and just how capable at inclined it was to choose evil.

And in the midst of all this evil swirling around me-

I experienced it.

I encountered the pain

I encountered the terror

I encountered the evil first hand

and it paralyzed my hear with this fear that would just not go away.

well... until now!

my dream was simple, 

yet it put an end to that fear hidden deep inside

             The dream....

I found myself in this wooded area unfamiliar to me.

There was a stream just in front of me and a few

feet of snow covered the ground. 

To my left was a steep bank at which there was a 

road at the top. 

I was alone and out and about because I couldn't 

stand being cooped up in the large "mansion/cabin" 

any longer. 

As I turn towards the stream I see crossing 3 or 4 

massive moose crossing- and fast!

I jump behind a tree~ but my heart is thrilled because 

I've had this secret (well maybe its not so secret) longing 

to see a moose in the wild.

As they pass straight by my tree- the bull moose sees me 

and comes at me- as I'm kneeling there- bull moose nose 

in my face- all I can think is- this is awesome- I'm terrified-

and I have no idea what to do! 

We sit there - him snorting deeply and angrily at my presence

for what seemed to be a few minutes. 

Something startles him and the moose heard runs off. 

For a split second I am relieved- until I see what scared off

the moose... a pack of cats. and not the little cats. 

Snow leopards, lions, pumas - big cats. 

Somehow- I scramble up the bank before they make it to me.

They obviously are not looking to be petted- but rather for a 

bite of something fresh and pink. 

I am sitting there on this ledge -sort of out of reach- but not 

really - absolutely stunned that this is actually happening

when an man calls to me from the other side of the road.

he hurries over and pulls me up and away just before my 

leg is caught by one of the cats. 

 As get back to the cabin- people are all sitting around -

half dazed or sleeping. 
My heart saddens at this sight- and I realize, I never want to
become so comfortable with life- that I remain in the "cabin"

At this point, my heart is about to jump out of my chest with

excitement- I just experienced something so terrifying - 

and I lived through it! 

This dream has become a catalyst to the way that I look at life
Its shifted the way view things in life that are terrifying and crippling to us.
I don't believe anymore that life was ever meant to be safe and perfect- 
everything going according to plan if you will.
I think it was meant to be lived more in the raw- 
encountering and walking through 
the grime and terror and beauty of life
and yet being able to say on the other side- 
I LIVED THROUGH THAT!
I experienced that-
and that was AWESOME! 

Since when were we meant to live these safe and "perfect" lives? 
Seems to me that the more safe our lives are- 
the more comatose we become-
walking around like lifeless zombies... 

EH! I don't want to kind of life!
I don't want a safe life!
I want a life that is full of things that terrify me-
so that on the other end I can say- 
I LIVED THROUGH THAT!
I experienced that!

We are only comforted when we mourn
we are protected only when there is something coming against us
We are rescued only when we need to be rescued.
we are only given food when we are hungry
we are only picked up when we fall down
we only encounter the Lord when place ourselves in a position to encounter Him
What is life worth if we do not encounter Him? 
what a bore
what a drag
what a waste
I want to encounter Him!
Im not so much afraid now- to walk through
those times of uncertainty and fear
for that's when I need Him- and that's where I encounter His hands of help!

loose yourself

 

Do you ever feel like you could loose yourself in a moment in time?

 Like you are tapping into a deeper, more clear and pure reality than the present physical one that you most times find yourself in... 

I wish I could live in those moments-- enjoying their riches day-in and day-out.

they seem to be the simplest of times...

a kind word

a sunrise

a smile

a long walk

their everywhere, 

just waiting to be embraced 

waiting to be discovered 

how many times do we find ourselves 

taking note of them- but soon become distracted and miss out

on their wisdom, on their life, on their peace and fullness they have to offer. 

loose yourself in those moments- for those moments taken end up creating in us something

that cannot be bought, or bribed, or worked for-

they only give to those who show up

and sit down. 

stop.

and smell the roses

Soul embrace

I was listening to this greatness track and one of the lines really struck my heart

---If you know what you are worth, go out and get what you are worth---

The thing with most people these days- is that they 

do not know what they are worth. 

Since when did we become a people who do not take the time 

to measure what we are truly worth?

Since when did we become so obsessed with what 

other people think of us that we no longer value what we think of ourselves?

Only you have hidden within yourself the secretes to 

make you you. 

No one else knows those secrets.

No one apart from the Spirit of the Living God should be given access 

to your innermost being- that place that makes you who 

you are.

One of my favorite quotes 

is a sobering one

one that most would rather ignore

but its truth rings loud and clear

to those who have ears to hear

and a heart to receive

"Don't let your happiness depend on something you may loose."

-C.S. Lewis

Think about that quote for a moment...

what can we loose?

Well... we can loose anything and everything we hold dear

We can loose our loved ones

we can loose our health

we can loose our jobs

our church

our country

what is the one thing

that cannot be taken away from us?

it is our Souls

our Souls are the most precious

of our pocessions

they are the one thing that has been given to us that cannot be taken away from us

Yes, the Love of Yahweh, if accepted can never be removed from us

nor can the hope of our salvation.

Yet- what are we doing with the very most precious things that make us who we are?

How is it that we let our very beings be influenced and depend

so easily by people who may or may not be lost tomorrow?

Maybe that which influences us the most should be that which cannot be lost--

the very core of ourselves

that is loved entirely by the Living God!

 

 

 

 

Lord, I am coming!

You know those songs that stop you dead in your tracks and cause you to ask yourself --what song is this!? What is it that makes one song or melody better or more satisfying to the ear? 

Some songs seem to be seasonal- they come, and then they go- as seasons change in your life- 

but then there are others that seem to remain very constant and life-giving through many many seasons. What is it about those songs that stirs our souls to take heed of their melody?

These soul songs are like a gateway to Heaven for me.

They give me Life.

They make me believe in more than just the physical that we get so caught up in.

 They offer, if you will- a Jacobs ladder- encounter.

Straight to the throne room. 

Sometimes my mind picks up on this can can tune in- and sometimes it cant,

but it is in my spirit where I realize I am touching a different dimension that is very unseen, 

and most times, unnoticed or glassed over in this world by most.  

It's almost as if they create an opportunity to

respond to The Lords invitation:

"Come up here"

and my heart responds:

"Lord, I am coming!"

New Chapter- New Treasures to be Found!

This chapter of my life I never in a million years thought I'd be living. But here I am! 

There is something wonderful about the new and unknown- and that is that there is a world to discover! treasures to be found and dug up! I'm finding myself falling into a place of searching-out, seeing and finding that which is not seen by most, and embraced by even fewer. These are treasures one is not able to buy- there is no shortcut, no price tag, or cheap way to obtain these treasures- a fake is a fake, a counterpart, and a fraud- they do nothing for one but fool one into thinking they have the real thing...  But to those who have their eyes wide open; searching, looking and seeking- nothing compares to the raw, life-shifting discovery of true and lasting treasures. 

Nothing compares. 

Nothing. 

"It is the glory of God to conceal a matter; to search out a matter is the glory of kings" Prov. 25:2

Most times, the simplest of things are the most profound. My aim in this next season is simply to record those things that cause soul to whisper and my spirit to soar- things that I discover along the way that gives me life and causes me to give life to those around me!