Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Daily Gift


The mist smears the view
Smudges hide the day
What to make of it
Will the color be hid by grey

I left the view just a moment
Returned to find skies ablaze
Color ignited by the sun
Splashing over the mountain maze



Once again I am reminded
Each day is a gift from God
Each breath I take a blessing
I stand arrested; I applaud

There is no one like our God
No one can paint the sky
No one can order my steps
No replacement; No standby

There is only one true God
Above Him there is no other
No one can do the things He does
So I shall not seek another

To fill my emptiness
Or be my very best friend
For when all is said and done
With Christ I will forever ascend

Friday, June 8, 2012

Puzzle Pondering



Puzzles, beautiful pictures
Pieces angled, round, straight
One here, one there
Interlocking, creating beauty

Puzzles, missing pieces
Unfinished and empty
Lying there incomplete
Sad, without purpose, useless

People, beautiful pictures
Some tall, bent, round
Here and there they meet
All creating beautiful pictures

Beautiful pictures, you say?
Ah, beauty is subject to interpretation
Bound by your experiences
Loosely framed, without shape

Puzzles, your experiences
Jumbled together in a heap
Some tall, happy, round, sad
All waiting for interlocking

Your puzzle put it together
One here, one there
Interlocking complete
Waiting to create, take shape

Who can fix this puzzle I cry
Empty, unfinished, a heap
Bound, mind limited by my experiences
Longing for shape and beauty

Me, a beautiful puzzle
Created by the Master PuzzleMaker
Interlocking my hand in His
Purpose, a thing of beauty and grace

Pieces angles, round, straight
One here, one there
Interlocking, His balm of Gilead
All creating beautiful pictures


Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Missed Moment

Grabbed the camera to catch the moment
Batteries were sapped of energy
Ran inside, replaced them quickly
Only to return and the moment had passed me by

Your name flashed through my mind
Knelt to pray, phone rings urgently
Ran to answer, missed them
Only to return and your name slipped by

I sit here listening to the stillness
Missed opportunities paramount in my thoughts
Transformation, renewing vie for attention
Which one will win this vicious cycle

As I ponder on these things for a moment
I recall a simple truth shared
The dog who will win this fight
Is the one you feed alright

I grabbed my Bible and found my place
Feeding the dog that won my fight
Renewing my mind wins hands down
I refuse to let this moment pass me by

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Dreams


Dreams....they pound away in my head
What if I could just....and away my thoughts slide
It's not as though the dreams are impossible
It's just that they like to hide
Behind all the busyness of life
Away they silently glide

Do they mean anything at all
Are these dreams real
In the quietness of the moment
Or when alone and still
Back into my life they march
Wooing, inviting, restlessness they reveal

Desire like none other
Unreached loads of potential
Knocking and rocking my world
Claiming to be essential
“When will you do something”
They scream; not inconsequential

Dreams....they pound away in my head
“Ignoring us would be a crime”
My thoughts like frenetic gestures
The hands of an excited mime
Seeking to make the connection
Shouting now! “Make the time!”

The road forward is crooked
Some sharp and dangerous seams
The path ahead is well traveled at first
Many look to have passed these beams
Ah.......the landscape is changing
Road less traveled, more extremes

It is up to me to decide
Will I let this road less traveled
Create a desire for adventure or
Give up and become unraveled
A fighter lives in this body
I will not give up nor become rattled

I will pursue these thoughts, these dreams
These nagging thoughts so rife
With hope and adventure
No, I will not let the busyness of life
Generate within this lovely lady
Disappointment and strife

I see this for what it is
The chance to achieve
A new opportunity to pursue
Not to sit around and grieve
Ah…there is the mime again
“Up!  To your dreams cleave!”

Dreams, the first step to reality
Pretty soon they will blossom
Wonderful partners they make
Work hard, don’t play opossum
Plan, practice, do it over again
The end result will be awesome

Dreams, they pound away in my head…………………….

Sunday, February 12, 2012

How do you see it? Consumed or Consumer?

I love a good fight. I like to see my team win. Contests where two equals duke it out until the strongest wins gets my adrenaline rushing and my entire being is consumed in that moment. If the winner is the team or person I'm rooting for, what extreme joy explodes thru me and I love to dance around and shout. It's even more fun if I am taking the side of the underdog against all my family. If my side wins in that situation, PRICELESS!! lol

Imagine being on the Moses team. Millions of people moving through the land based on the cloud by day and the fire by night. You wake up in the morning and the cloud is not over the Tabernacle, it's moving toward the east side of camp. Do you excitedly get everyone up and packing, overjoyed because you are moving today? You're eating bread that no one can bake; it's just there every morning for you to pick up and eat. At least you don't have to try and make breakfast. It's sort of what we do on a busy day; get breakfast from McDonald's on the way out of town in the morning. (well sort of)

So you're on the Moses team. The contest is against those people on the other side of the Jordan river. You have no idea what their strengths or weaknesses are. So being a great coach, Moses chooses scouts from the 12 offensive and defensive teams under his leadership. The objective is to go into their territory and check it all out. Are they strong or weak; are they fortified and dug in, or are they in temporary housing? Is the turf good or bad; rich or poor. You get the picture. They leave and are gone for 40 days.

As they arrive, you see the bounty they are bringing back from their scouting trip. I mean how can you not. Two men are carrying grapes so large they're hanging on poles and carried on the shoulders of two men. Excitement and adrenaline rushes through your body as you anticipate this contest. Just imagine being able to live in a land where grapes are that big, not to mention all that other stuff the other scouts are carrying.

Moses calls a pre-game planning session and everyone attend. Spirits are high, anticipation of the game day is pumping through you and you can't wait to hear the plan. The men are sharing what they saw. When we win this game guys, we are going to live on honey and milk; it flows in that place. I mean just look at this fruit, that's what the land produces over there. BUT there are giants there. They are huge and their cities are fortified like strongholds.

Snap, Crackle, POP! Is that what your dreams would have done? Or would you have been like Caleb? Let's go Team Moses, Let's go!!

Caleb could not convince the people. Matter of fact, the other men's report ended like this. "There we saw the giants (the descendants of Anak came from the giants); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight." (Numbers 13:33)

What I find interesting is that they saw themselves as grasshoppers and small. Because of this, they assumed that the giants saw them in the same way. They projected in their attitude and their words so much negativity that the entire team, all 12 defensive and offensive teams, except two people, were consumed and defeated with their attitude before the game even began.

As I ponder on this I remember the past history of this Moses team. Before they began this hike in the outdoors, they lived in Egypt. Their ancestors knew about grasshoppers. Oh yes they did! God sent grasshoppers and locusts to terrorize and consume every living plant on the face of the land when Pharaoh, the great king of Egypt, refused to let them go on the hike.

Isn't that how we are sometimes. There's a big bully in our path. We know we are smaller, under weight, not as smart perhaps. So we assume that bully sees us in that way too. Our own negativity and limited insight projects defeat before we even give it our best effort.

Imagine if they would have seen it differently. Grasshoppers consume! They may be small but they can do a lot of damage together! Remember what happened when God sent them into the land in a great swarm? We can do this! Let's go.

What would have happened was just as Caleb said. They could have overcome the giants. They could have swarmed through the camp, consumed the enemy, and taken possession of the land. They were on the winning team, but they could not see themselves that way.

There is one difference between being consumed and being the consumer. One letter; D and R. It's an attitude. You can be a D and be Defeated and negative and never get anywhere in your life. Keep doing the same thing you always do and keep getting what you always get. OR you can be an R. An R is a Realizer. A Realizer is someone who can take something and make a profit out of it. Someone who clearly understands the value of something and is able to convert that into profit.

The result of the Moses teams first response to the game was defeat without fighting. They roamed in the desert until all the men who did not believe died. The victory that was eventually realized was minus several team members. The enemy didn't change; the team changed.

How do you see your situation? Does it defeat you; are you consumed by the overwhelming odds that you see against you? Or are you a realizer? Is there something inside you that sees those same things but the outcome is that you win? The difference is one letter!

Don't waste your past experiences. Negative or positive. Learn from them. Look to realize great things in your future because of what your past has been. You can be consumed or you can be the consumer. Which will it be for you?

As for me, I will possess my dreams!! I will become what I was truly meant to be!! Let's go team, let's go!! We will, we will, rock you!! Sing it together now!! We will, we will, rock you!!

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Can you see in the dark?

I can see in the dark. Well, that is when my eyes adjust. I know some people can't do that very well. My husband gets a little aggravated with me at times over that. I'm really not sure why; it's a puzzle. lol He says I have cat eyes. Can cats truly see in the dark? Why cats? Can dogs see in the dark? I don't know. I guess I'll have to look into that later as I digress....

We are so drawn by the obvious; what we see with our eyes. The beautiful compels us. The ugly repels us. We are quick to judge. First impressions are lasting, don't you know.

We are going through the hiring process again and now that I am located several states away from our corporate office, I participate by phone. It's amazing what you see when you're actively listening. One of the best resources I ever hired I never met face-to-face until after he was on our staff for a couple weeks. You truly don't have to meet someone face-to-face in order to get to know them.

We are warned, encouraged and taught to be careful to make a good first impression. Make sure we are dressed appropriately for the occasion, make sure we demonstrate good personal hygiene and comportment.

We are also warned not to judge others just by what we see. Give people a second chance, we are told. The cold fact of the matter is that's a lot easier said than done. We must be constantly vigilant and work hard at leaving the measuring stick in the closet.

CeeLo Green made a statement I heard that I can't get away from and it's so true. He said, "Everyone is the same color when the lights are out." Think about that for a while. If I was writing in Biblical times, I'd say, 'Selah'.

The Bible tells us that God looks on the heart. He is concerned more with our heart because from there the true motivation of a person will eventually be seen or will become evident in actions. If we can get our heart right, the other things will fall into place.

As I ponder today, I close my eyes and think about the people I admire most. Is it because of what I see with my physical eyes, or am I attracted to the condition of their heart. To be fair, there are people I really don't like. I'm pondering those too. Am I being unfair and judgmental because of what I see with my eyes or is it because of what I see in the dark?

Monday, January 16, 2012

Don't Drink The Water From The Faucet

Isn't it truly amazing how many water products are now on the market? Honestly! You can find water with electrolytes, vitamins, energy boosters, etc. There's spring water, mountain water, rain water, and on and on they go. Just don't drink the water from the faucet; it's contaminated with all sorts of things you don't want to know about. That's the message, right? As I sit here pondering on my need to drink more water and all the benefits I've been ignoring, I'm reminded about the water story in the Bible.

It's about Jesus' trip through Samaria. He found himself thirsty and sat by the well waiting for someone to come who could give him a drink. It's found in the book of John, chapter 4. The two verses that I will refer to here are verses 13 and 14; from The Message version it reads like this, "Jesus said, everyone who drinks this water will get thirsty again and again. Anyone who drinks the water I give will never thirst --- not ever. The water I give will be an artesian spring within, gushing fountains of endless life."

You know Jesus was the Master Storyteller. His stories intrigue me because they can usually be tied back to the things he created. He uses so many analogies and allegories to engage our minds so that we can apply them to our lives and understand their importance. So I decide to look at the known facts about water and see how much they can be applied to spiritual need.

• A person can live for up to one month without food, but only about one week without water.
• By the time a person feels thirsty, his or her body has lost over 1 percent of its total water amount.
• Water leads to overall greater health by flushing out wastes and bacteria that can cause disease.
• Water can prevent and alleviate headaches.
• Water naturally moisturizes skin and ensures proper cellular formation underneath layers of skin to give it a healthy, glowing appearance.
• Water aids in the digestion process and prevents constipation.
• Water is the primary mode of transportation for all nutrients in the body and is essential for proper circulation.

I think there are many applications that can be made from these. Pastor Kenneth Haney preached a powerful message at Firstborn Ministries about the importance of renewing our minds daily which comes to mind as I write this note. He challenged us to be diligent in the renewing of our minds daily. He quoted this passage:

“I beseech you there, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” Romans 12: 1-2

Get rid of the stinkin’ thinkin’ that’s between your ears! The only way we can be healthy Christians is to flush out all the waste and bacteria of the world through the infilling of the Holy Ghost on a daily basis. The headache, sickness and disease of the world prevent a healthy glow of the spirit. But proper daily cleansing with nourishment from the Word and spirit of God will transport nutrients into your mind and body that are essential to your personal health and the proper circulation and spreading of revival to the world.

From this point on, my water of choice is Spirit water. The Message version of this same scripture puts it like this and sums up my choice pretty well:
“So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.” (Romans 12:1-2)