The Heart of YOU

Life is stitched together one thread at a time.

The thread of every experience, of every action and each conversation.

Wanted and Unwanted alike 

They create a picture that brings clear what will be the tapestry of our lives.

How we process all that comes, imprints our thoughts and hearts.

What we reject and refuse entry into the secret, sacred corners of our very beings determines

often, if we travel crushed under burden or 
stand tall in confident peace.

It has everything to do with the company we keep.

Who do we call friend?

What are our hearts and our time taken up with?

No matter where we are and what the climate of our atmosphere may be, the corners of our hearts can only be accessed with express permission.

It is the place our truest self dwells.

So get real at the heart of you.

I promise its the biggest favor you will ever 
DO for.....YOU.

We Are Not Abandoned, We Are Not Alone

Say it again, Say it loud and strong.

In the face of crushing

disaster you can declare:

"I am not abandoned, Not alone.

I will not adjust my stance 

Or change my tone."

It looks to be a fully loaded bummer

Of an increasing number

Of topics domestically and abroad.

It changes daily....

Can't keep track of the heartache

Wrapped in thunder

In every season....Fall, Winter, Spring, Summer.

Sunshine through the clouds.

Smiles through the tears.

Warmth through the cutting wind.

It is a message I must send 

To my heart....repeatedly, to my head.

To counteract the pull towards discouragement;

Good news sifted out from a sea of bad.

Never ending reasons to feel blue.

Overwhelming reasons

to become choked with despair;

A culprit in the disappearance and graying

of my hair.

The rushing, crushing chaos created from bad choices....

selfish decisions, impatient hearts.... 

the constant whizzing by of these poison tipped darts.

We long for it to cease, to have a merciful kind of break,

But the truth is that there are people in each corner making 

plans now and for always...coming to the worst kinds of conclusions.

Minds cold, thoughtless and numb....

Hearts made of granite.

They occupy space in every part of our planet.

We can't carry that burden or shoulder the weight.

We were not designed to sustain that load.... it's far too great.

   A painful experience can nearly rob us of our next breath. 

  Solutions can hide. Evil can seem to run amuck.

You think they hold all the cards; they carry all the luck.

They can have it.... every bit.

It's not luck that turns the tide or evil with the upper hand.

It may appear so....all across our great land

and over the seas on foreign sand.

But the truth is....light will always pierce through the darkness.

God....all strength, all love.

He is near us in our pain, catching all our tears....

Drawing nearer still

Understanding the challenge we face....

Simply holding on, trying  to maintain.

God is above every ugly intention, each secretive plot....

And these are a lot.

We are not abandoned, not alone. 

He has armed us for battle; equipped us with truth.

He has provided us with this armor, if we choose to wear it.

It is not my imagination, it is the absolute truth, I swear it.

You can find it in the Word of God.

In Ephesians, it is to be found....laid out, plain to see

For you and for me.

The whole armor of God.

We put it on like this:

To begin, we put on the belt of truth 

with the body armor of God's righteousness.

The shoes of peace.

They came from the Good News so you will be fully prepared. 

In addition to those....

Hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil.

Put on salvation as your helmet 

and take the sword of the Spirit

which is the Word of God.

Bad News....Good News

Lies or Truth

Take it in or arm yourself against.

It's up to each individual person. Each personal heart.

God loves us unconditionally....

ready to assure us to be at peace

in the face of the storm.

Even though it goes against logic; the flow of the norm.

Dear Friends, we are not abandoned, we are not alone.

This Beautiful Transformational Thing

Spring, the time when all things become new.

The landscape turns green, moist with dew.

The baby animals cry out their arrival,

The free roaming ones and the domestic types too.

Easter is upon us, see for yourself;

The calendar confirms it's true.

This is the best time of the year.

The time we celebrate Jesus rising from the dead

To make new creatures...

loved, protected and saved...out of me and out of you.

He did it for every person, not just a few.

He did this beautiful transformational thing.

He did it on purpose, not wanting our lives to be worthless,

aimless, out of whack, completely askew.

Don't get discouraged about getting it right.

 Don't get down in the mouth because everything isn't perfect that you do.

Be not dismayed as the world grows more wild.

God is far from through.

The place to start is to simply say:

"Dear Lord, on this day,

 I want to be your child."

Tail,Tail Signs Of Spring

Tail, Tail Signs of Spring...What does  it bring?

It depends where you are. 

For some, it means planting a garden,

growing delicious vegetables, then boiling,

and steaming them to finally 

preserve it all in a jar.

Spring means warmer temperatures, melting snow. 

The animal world preening, posturing and putting on a show.

The place I live brings the things of Spring out to play.
Birds full of song, 

Butterflies full of color, bunnies, and lizards 

interested in nibbling the grass 

and catching some rays. 

The flowers dressed in their best, 

present themselves vividly and cheerfully. 

Small dogs scratch at the screen door, 

staring up, with pleading eyes and wagging tails,

eager to join the fun. 

To maybe catch a lizard or chase a fluffy tail. 

As long as he stays on the leash, 

it's harmless and all will be well.

Love or Hate..The Choice Only You Can Make

Love Makes Allowances

Hate Makes Accusations

Love Says You Are Welcome

Hate Says There Is No Place For You

Love Sees Potential

Hate Sees Nothing

Love Offers A Helping Hand

Hate Slaps You Down

Love Gives Strength

Hate Wears You Down

Love Smiles

Hate Growls

Love Begins Again

Hate Insists All Is Lost

Love Carries You Across Troubled Waters. 

Through Blinding Storms. 

Over Towering Mountains.

 Protects You From Harm. 

Encourages your heart to look ahead, 

To Release The Worries And Dread. 

To Starve The Discouraging, 

Fearful Thoughts You Have Long Since Fed.

Love Builds Up

Hate Tears Down 

It Is The Same Everywhere.

All The Big Cities,

Remote Villages And Small Towns.

Hate Is A Dead End

Love Is A Million New Beginnings.

Love Is All You Need......

Hate Is Going To Die,Vanish Altogether; 

If When It Comes Knocking,

You Personally Refuse It.

The Smallest Amount Of Attention,

Not A Morsel Or Even A Crumb.

Be Smart, Don't Behave Dumb

Realize This Is One Beast You Should Never Feed! 

Boy of Courage, Man of Conviction

Patrick endured hardship and separation from all comfort; anything familiar. When his captors, apparent pirates, liberated him from home and hearth, they did not ask, they took. One day free, next day enslaved. Six years, an estimated 2190 days of uncomfortable, frightening, frustrating happenings. He was not discouraged; instead his experiences ignited his fire. Growing ever displeased with his accommodations and company, he escaped. Time is precious, he wasted none; heading straight for his family.... his British home. The courage he used to flee his captors is the same courage that later carried himself back to the Irish people.

Patrick was simply a man of great courage and conviction. He possessed knowledge of something that held significance. It burned in his heart. The need to tell what he knew drove him into the green hills of the north to share his heart with the people. Once a boy in bondage, returning as a man to share the keys to freedom.

We remember him, his name, what he did...centuries later. His life left a mark and changed the course of many lives. The details may be muddied with the passing of time, but this remains...he was a British boy that became a man who gave his heart to Ireland.

What is in your life....that thing tapping on your shoulder to do...to be? You have courage just the same as Patrick. Engage it as he did...do it afraid, knees knocking, hands trembling. Courage is facing the scary things, going out to meet them and looking them in the eye; never flinching. The biggest take away to remember beyond this day is that Patrick did not walk alone. God held his hand, held him steady, made a way to carry him back home. Yes, it is true, Patrick did not walk alone.

So, wherever you are, however it is you celebrate this the 17th day of March, be it a holy day or a reason to drink a green beer, or possibly an excuse to give a pinch to a person not wearing the green....

 Remember Patrick on this St. Patrick's Day.

Time Out For Grown Ups

Time out for grown ups. Unheard of; it doesn't happen. When did it become acceptable to leave all accountability at the door when exiting childhood? When did it become common to use ugly words in hateful ways, to purposefully inflict pain and humiliation on others?

When did honor become something so forgotten that it would  be more likely to dig it up as an archaeological find than to be evident in the lives of men?

I didn't look at my watch to note the day or the hour, but it happened just the same. Whatever has become of us? This is the time to turn from these habits and begin afresh and new, to hold ourselves accountable for bad behavior and moments absent of good judgement.

If necessary, find a corner of quiet and think it through. Is it still not the best course to act with honor, speak with honesty, stand with truth, move in love, react with laughter, a smile and an extra positive attitude, attitude, attitude?