Happy Thanksgiving

As I sat at my table this morning I recounted the many times Abba has delivered my family through difficult circumstances. Each of my three children have encountered horrendous obstacles, and each one continues to suffer in one way or another. Together we have endured attacks on every level - spirit, soul, body, mind - yet through God's power we have overcome and continue to do so. Our journeys and the blessings that have come have truly been amazing, yet only I can see the significance of that statement at this moment in history. And that's okay, because I see the privilege we have been given by God to stand for Him as a testimony of His purpose in and through each of us. I praise and thank Him for His long suffering as we are difficult people.

This Thanksgiving, like many, I am separated from my children as my two sons live nearer to the east coast, and my daughter is simply too ill for a visit. Still, they are close to me in my heart. My tradition of the Star Wars marathon on Thanksgiving is something my sons enjoy, but my daughter has always been partial to Christmas dramas on the Hallmark Channel. I enjoy a mix of both, but then I watch Christmas movies year round. Christmas is a day-to-day celebration in my home, Christmas tree and all! I keep it up to remind me of the precious friends and family as each ornament or decoration has meaning to me. I believe it is important to surround oneself with the treasure we have in friends and family, special memories, and even bittersweet reminders. This way our hearts sing, and a smile lights our face each time we look around beholding the riches of our blessings in the simplest things.

Next Saturday I will host a fun-filled day creating ornaments or simple gifts with my friend's grandchildren. My latest endeavor is making Christmas stars from toilet paper rolls, an art I learned from a friend I visited this week. It's the simple things in life we can enjoy, and I will have another memory added to my already crowded little Christmas tree.

This Thanksgiving I am grateful to God for taking my life, such as it is, and using me for such a time as this. To bring glory to Him in all I say and do!

Proclamation

 

Each day of my life is a gift from God. I, who am a sinner saved by grace, am so thankful for a loving Abba Father. He made His presence known to me as a child struggling as part of a dysfunctional household and within my own life while battling enemies not yet recognized. He gave me dreams and visions that no man can hinder, regardless of the lies I have been given to believe from childhood up to the present age. He alone is my vindicator and judge. He alone is my Abba, my Lord, my Defender. He who shelters me day and night with His divine protection, because He neither slumbers nor sleeps. He loves me with an everlasting love. I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, because it is life to all who seek Him. He gives life, strength, and comfort through the person of Holy Spirit who dwells within my soul and spirit directing my path step-by-step. No weapon formed against me and mine will prosper. Any tongue that rises up against us He will show to be in the wrong. He has promised to fight my battles. I never have to fear. He goes before me and holds my right hand.

I am speechless at the thought that He chose me for a special purpose and that He is putting people in my path to support His ministry in and through me. I am humbled and grateful beyond words. May I decrease that He will increase. All praise and glory to my Abba Father and my Lord Jesus Christ, lover of my soul.

This is my proclamation on this November 19, 2016. It goes out to everyone who reads this blog and with whom it may be shared. Jesus is Lord of my life.

Last night I was privileged to attend a benefit concert for Sangre de Cristo House and honoring the  founder, Father Terry Brennan. He was born in Ohio and attended Ohio State University and later American University in Washington, DC. He received his law degree and served in Washington, DC. While taking a sabbatical and volunteering in Santa Fe he realized this was the place he needed to be. Later he received his calling into the priesthood where he has served many people in New Mexico. His journey has been inspirational.

The main event was a performance by Ernestine Romero from Pojoaque who was named Female Vocalist of the Year at the 2016 Tejano Music Awards. I had such a wonderful time enjoying the music and mixing with my Hispanic friends and fellow supporters of this wonderful ministry. Sangre de Cristo House is a transitional living home for women in recovery located in Pena Blanca, New Mexico.  It supports women by offering "a safe home for recovering women by offering them a safe transitional home environment and by "helping them rebuild their parent/child bond, building life skills, by exploring how to balance employment and recovery, and growing a spiritual strength for long-term recovery."  It is a blessing and a unique resource for our community.

The longer I serve in this area of Northern New Mexico I see the many needs of the culture and the time in which we are living. We can either choose to grumble and complain and do nothing to change the circumstances of our world or we can grab the vision, roll up our sleeves and get busy doing something to make a difference. We will reach obstacles, and we will encounter opposition, but we look to God for direction and depend on Him to fight our battles. When Franklin Graham was doing his year long tour to visit the capitals of all the 50 states he urged Christians to become involved in government or support others who are actively trying to make this a better place in our homes, schools, businesses, community and government. 

While reading through my daily devotionals I stumbled upon some inspiring quotations:

"If the world seems cold to you, kindle fires to warm it."

Mathilda Gage

"The moment you doubt whether you cannot fly,

you cease forever to be able to do it."

JM Barrie

"Don't let yesterday take up too much of today"

Will Rogers

And now may God, who gives us His peace, be with you all. Amen (Romans 15:33)

Sharing Thoughts

Sunday afternoon at the movies is one of my favorite pastimes. Today I watched a PureFlix movie called "A Perfect Chord." It is the story of two teenage girls who are hiding their talents each for a different reason, each with a different fear. Together the two girls become friends, and along with the quirky side kick of one of the two who helps them pull it all together, they overcome their fears, and use their talents to bring glory to God. It's a must see for anyone struggling with overcoming fear and daring to pursue their dreams.

We all live with unrealized dreams that have been hidden away for one reason or another. We start out thinking we can change the world, but somehow, along the way on life's journey and enormous challenges, somehow we become sidetracked or too discouraged to dare to hope we can make a difference. So we choose to live a mediocre life...we settle for someone's else's idea of how our life should be lived. I've written it before...the little house with the white picket fence. But there are those who forsake it all for the call of the wild, so to speak. Having been down the proverbial yellow brick road seeking the assistance of the Great Wizard who simply does not exist, they succumb to disappointment and isolation.

Before I watched the movie I was having a conversation with Abba about my childish mind stuck in a senior's body. Somehow I still believe I can do anything I long to do in this life, if I only believe it and trust my crazy ideas. On K-Love news this week I heard a story about a gentleman well into his 90's who is still teaching school. Everyone loves him, and he has no intention of retiring, as he loves his job and his students, and they adore him. The staff at the school feel the same way. Mother Teresa must be smiling, as she persevered til the end of her days. Imagine if we all felt that way, had that dedication and intense will power, with the spirit of a child at heart.

This morning I asked our pastor who teaches at the high school how I could help. Apparently the school is in the news these days as it struggles to provide for the needs of our young people as well as other challenges. Years ago when I was much younger I helped another school in a similar situation, with the aid of the new principal's wife who was also a teacher. Drawing on my crazy ideas and unique "gifts," we worked to develop a program for at risk kids using puppetry. It worked very well, and it could have gone further had I had the desire to continue, but there were things in my life back then boiling under the surface. One school year ends and things change, and life goes on.

One day while standing in line at Natural Grocer's I accidentally bumped into a book stand, and a book fell onto the floor. I picked it up, and as I was placing it back on the shelf the title jumped out at me. Who knows maybe the book "chose me." Or perhaps God just wanted to get my attention, as is His way. The title of the book was Chicken Soup for the Soul Guided Journal. The subtitle read "Explore and Embrace Your Inner Strength," and then below it said "Doodle your dreams & discover the real you!"

In the introduction, appropriately entitled "The Reset Button" a Chinese Proverb is shared for inspiration:

"The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago.

The second best time is now."

The idea behind the "part workbook, part devotional guide and all Chicken Soup for the Soul" is to provide a "positivity journal" to help one "hit the reset button and embark on an exciting adventure."

Included in the pages of this "positivity journal" are witty quotations, true life stories, and blank pages for notes, thoughts, and doodling. I've only just begun this new adventure, but it holds promise in rekindling a spark to ignite the old passion lying dormant within my soul or those on the verge of miraculously coming forth after a long, insidious slumber.

I often struggle to put aside things that trouble me deeply and threaten to steal my hopes for the future. This week I put aside another hindrance holding me captive in time, and I know the culprit will rear its ugly head again, but I pray I can squash that pesty rascal and silence its voice. I may have to live with unpleasant noises in my ear and head, but I don't have to listen to the voice of a thief and a liar who constantly tries to steal my joy and rob my peace. So it's done, for now, until the next time the sneaky pest attempts to stick a talon in my business. The results rest in God's hands, and I am reassured that He will fight this battle for me.

I may be older, but I am still alive, and my brain bursts with more crazy ideas and not so crazy ones. I'm with the very senior gentleman teacher, as I don't plan to give up on my life dreams either for the ridiculous reason of being older. I'm making new plans, and I'm keeping my old dreams alive at the same time. I'm taking an online literary class on CS Lewis' works, and I'm creating an Americana rag doll for a friend. There's still my book in the wings, but it is not forgotten, and I have a home to transform into my first "home for misfit toys." This will be a work in progress until I can raise the funds for a major project, but I even have some ideas about that one too! I am beginning to show an inkling of life and revival of the soul of this ole gal.

In December my plans are set to journey to Virginia, and together with my son we shall embark on a new journey together. He's used to my "crazy ideas," as he had to endure much in childhood, but I hope he's looking forward to my thoughts and dreams for my parents' home. I'm not certain how my life is going to play out in the end. I really can only take one day at a time, one small step at a time. This year brought a major setback in my year long goals, but I'm healing, and more than that, I am determined. I want to use my talents for God's glory, and I simply refuse to let circumstances stand in my way. Nor will I allow anyone's opinions to stop me in my tracks, as I have often allowed. I still have many obstacles that need to be overcome, and I still have to battle the chemical imbalances, but today I feel hopeful. Today I feel alive.

Dry Bones Breathe!

This weekend is going to go down as one of wildest ones in quite a while. I love it! What satan tried to make a lousy weekend, that basically shattered my plans, is turning into one of the greater blessings. While in the midst of this great joy, I am aware that I may have lost ground with someone who is struggling very deeply, because I dared to share my faith. I posted on Facebook that Jesus is not just the answer, He is the only one, and my life has been a living testament of His power in times of weakness.

And so my day began....  Yet...here I am! Alive in every sense of the word. Pain is not my enemy, nor is fear! My enemy is a toothless, old lion trying the suck the marrow out of my life. Well, this ole gal is tired of that stuff, so when he sends a "friend" to try to slow me down, it doesn't really work as he'd planned. Even when immobilized I can sing, praise, and pray! If I fall asleep, I can dream! I had a strange one last night, but I know the visions are returning. Warnings come in dreams.

Yesterday as I was catching up on my Bible readings I paused at Acts 4: 32-35: "All the believers were united in heart and mind. And they felt that what they owned was not their own, so they shared everything they had. The apostles testified powerfully to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and God's great blessing was upon them all. There were no needy people among them, because those who owned land or houses would sell them and bring the money to the apostles to give to those in need." (italics mine)

That's been my philosophy, and I've tried to teach my children to have the same values. My daughter literally gives people the last can of food in her pantry or the shirt off her back. She has a wonderful spirit of giving. People pity her sparsely adorned home, empty pantry, and broken refrigerator absent of food. But she brightens up a room with the love of Jesus, and she can pray for you with heart and soul. She literally lights up the room. I pray everyone has an opportunity to meet her one day...for all she is not, she is so much more.

My family is broken, as is their mother, but we are surviving the snares laid to trap us and brings us to ruin. In each our own way we are facing the tremendous adversities, the adversary who comes to steal, kill, and destroy. But as matriarch of this family I will have none of that! My Abba Father has promised victory, and He doesn't lie! There's a song by Matthew West that puts it nicely:

Mended

How many times can one heart break?
It was never supposed to be this way
Look in the mirror, but you find someone
You never thought you'd be

Oh, but I can still recognize
The one I love in your tear stained eyes
I know you might not see it now
So lift your eyes to me

When you see broken beyond repair
I see healing beyond belief
When you see too far gone
I see one step away from home
You see nothing but damaged goods
I see something good in the making
I'm not finished yet
When you see wounded, I see mended

You see your worst mistake
But I see the price I paid
There's nothing you could ever do
To lose what grace has won

So hold on, it's not the end
This is where love's work begins
I'm making all things new
And I will make a miracle of you

I see my child, My beloved
The new creation you're becoming
You see the scars from when you fell
But I see the stories they will tell
You see worthless, but I see priceless
You see pain, but I see a purpose
You see unworthy, undeserving
But I see you through eyes of mercy

Ya know, there may be many things that trouble me, conundrums as I call them, mixed feelings and crazy thoughts that boggle the imagination or lack thereof of people, but my Constant is my faith in my Abba Father. He's the real deal.

Election is Tuesday, my mother's birthday, and I plan to honor her memory and my Abba Father by voting for the one I feel tries to honor God. Whoever that is, that one will need the prayers, not the criticism of God's family of believers. True believers who bend their knees in prayer before they dare to utter a word against anyone. We all fail miserably short, but we keep trying by our great example of Jesus, the true unoffendable one who has sacrificed everything!

Many times I get criticized or misunderstood, because I miss church. I love my church, and I support it, yet at times I need more than any human institution can provide. My spirit longs for much more of the presence of God that I have never felt within the walls of a church. I need God's great dance floor where I can come alive and worship Him freely, without concern of offending some stuffed shirt who thinks you have to kneel to pray or bow to a picture of Jesus on a wall. No, my Jesus is alive and real! And, He loves to dance like David did...kick up His heels to dance the River Dance or enjoy the rhythms and beats of my Africa that I love! And I know He worships His Father with the sounds of Hillsong United, even though they're dressed in everyday clothes, have dreadlocks, and some are overweight though with wonderfully deep and robust vocal cords. Spirits alive! I come alive! I am alive! Even when I am having my worse chemical imbalances, migraines, or whatever satan tries to throw my way, I am alive with the music, the heavenly music heals and restores. It's magic! It's heaven! It's Jesus!

So as we ready ourselves in prayer, thought for the great election day, perhaps the lyrics of Lauren Daigle's song Comes Alive will rattle a few bones:

Comes Alive (Dry Bones)

Through the eyes of men it seems there's so much we have lost
As we look down the road where all the Prodigals have walked
One by one the enemy has whispered lies then led them off as slaves

But we know that you are God, Yours is the victory
We know there is more to come that we may not yet see
So with the faith You've given us we'll step into the valley unafraid

(chorus)
As we call out to dry bones come alive, come alive
We call out to dead hearts come alive, come alive
Up out of the ashes, let us see an army rise
We call out to dry bones come alive

God of endless mercy, God of unrelenting love
Rescue every daughter, bring us back the wayward sons
By Your Spirit breathe upon them, show the world that You alone can save
You alone can save

(chorus)
As we call out to dry bones come alive, come alive
We call out to dead hearts come alive, come alive
Up out of the ashes, let us see an army rise
We call out to dry bones come alive

So breathe, Oh breath of God now
Breathe, Oh breath of God
Breathe, Oh breath of God now breathe
Breathe, Oh breath of God now breathe
Oh breath of God
Breathe, Oh breath of God now breathe

(chorus)
As we call out to dry bones come alive, come alive
We call out to dead hearts come alive, come alive
Up out of the ashes, let us see an army rise
We call out to dry bones come alive
We call out to dry bones come alive

Oh come alive