The Heart's Song Is Never Silent

With 2014 moving farther and farther back in my rear view mirror, and the start of a new year fastly approaching, I've felt a little bit in limbo: not wanting to look back, but also not wanting to look too far ahead. I've been thinking about redeeming the time I have; if I'm honest, much of my time which isn't spent at work, is spent in a type of distraction zone between social media and entertainment..."Are you not entertained?" (If you can tell me which movie that little snippet was taken from you win 10 bonus  points ;)) It's so easy to be distracted when one lives in a technological age of smart phones, tablets, and the ever increasing push for more and more entertainment in shorter spans of time. Theirs definitely nothing wrong with wanting to unwind after work, or school, or just taking it easy on the weekend, in fact rest is a blessing of God, but we can't allow it to cause us to become numb, and unaware of the time that's passing us by. W...

I've always loved Christmas best of all the holidays.With growing up on an island my memories of Christmas aren't snow covered, nor are they memories of racing downstairs to open up a ton of presents. No, my memory of Christmas is one of Palm trees, and sunny days filled with family and reggae tinged Christmas songs...ah the paradise of a wide eyed eight year old. No matter how thrilling those days were to me, Jesus was and still is the epicenter of it all for me. To think that He never stops giving, first His life for mine, but also sharing the season of his birth celebration with me-just a little girl on an island in the middle of the sea-I felt so special. Jesus does that to you, makes you feel like one in a million, the apple of His eye. Because to Him we are all special, hand crafted, one of a kind...I don't want to forget this. Sometimes it's easy to forget what we're really celebrating at Christmas...but it's not about the presents, not even about getti...

I gave it away, a gift sent back from whence it came, Knowing that no more able arms can be found on this earth, I sat in silence and listened intently as the rooster began to crow, Waiting expectantly for my Beloved to show His face, He never disappointed me, I smiled as the amber light filled my room, Washing away all traces of darkness and gloom, Oh come away with me my love to a distant shore, Where You are all I need forever more, forever more, I think I'm home,

It is my opinion that our life is not random, we are not aimlessly drifting in the world. No, if you are a Christian you are a new creation in Christ, and the Holy Spirit lives inside of you. That means you are endowed with greatness and can accomplish great things . I don't attribute any of the gifts I've been given to my own credit, for I know the bible says we've been given these gifts to do good, of which God has pre-determined us to do. So I stay close to God, and most importantly stay close His heart: Jesus; otherwise how can I know His purpose for me? This race Paul speaks about isn't a 100 meter dash, it's more of a 5K run. The good news is that we don't have to go it alone. We have more than a cheerleader on the sidelines, we have Jesus the Christ, and if you get tired, or if you should fall, He's right there in step with you, and He will carry you to the finish line.

In Genesis 13 it informs us of Abram's separation from Lot. It came to pass that Abram said if you go to the left I will go to the right, and if you go to the right I will go to the left. That's where the story gets interesting to me, because immediately after separating from Lot God speaks to Abram and says "Look all around you because I am going to give you this land, and your descendants will outnumber the very sand ." Two big things stand out to me ; firstly the fact that Abram had to first separate himself from Lot, and secondly the fact that God's vision for Abram was far greater than Abram 's vision for himself. While Abram would have been satisfied with whatever land Lot didn't want, God told him to look to the north, south, east, and west, as far as His eyes could see for he, and his descendants would inhabit the land. That story makes me consider my life, could someone or something be detracting God's purpose for me, and is my vision much too...

Some may call me a dreamer but it is You who have placed these hopes in my heart, I hold them deep within the recesses of my heart and it causes them to bloom, Oh Lord, my God, my one desire is to behold your face, Gaze on your majesty and bow in deference, For You alone are King, and no one can take your place, It's a sweet mystery this love You have for me, and it is as eternal as time,

Through the whirlwind He whispers my name, Tells me I was chosen before the foundation of the world, That I was marked with His light and set aside for such a time as this, As the dawn paints the sky, He whispers His promises and to my ear they ring true, Promises to bless me, to protect me, to guide me, to never leave me alone, He tells me He counts every hair on my head, He knows when I rise and when I lay down, He knows the things that lay heavy on my soul, and the things that make my heart smile, He tells me His thoughts of me outnumber the very sands of time, I look at Him with a million questions in my mind, a thousand whys, He silences them with the next words He utters:For I have loved you with an everlasting love , and with loving kindness I have drawn you, You see it's simple , He wants me to be His,

Wait upon The Lord the writer re-iterates, just a few words yet how they sting...yes they sting my conscious, because in all honesty I hate waiting on anything...because in a fast food culture I can go to any drive thru in America and have it my way. In this season of my life I've been looking behind the words of God a lot, to the why of it all? Why is it so important to God that we wait...well one big reason is because we aren't God. Yes, captain obvious I know...but it's so true; God has a plan for all of us, and that plan is no mystery to Him. If He should share it with us that's great-and He has shared a lot in His word-but this plan is His to unfold,and we must trust the Man who died for us. His plans are for our good, not for our harm, and most importantly He loves us. So let's keep our eyes on Him, He's the Man with the master plan.

Ever since I've been a little girl I've had a plan for my life, a story per se of how I imagined the best outcome for my life ought to be . Over the years I've placed this story in a gilded frame and made somewhat of a shrine for it, and though I would tell you the things I desire for my life aren't any bad things, I have to admit that my desire for control is. You see I haven't been letting God be God...He is the author of life after all, and He tells me that He has a plan for my life, a plan for good and not for evil...even when I don't understand, and don't see how He can possibly get anything good out of my situation, He sees the bigger picture. Jesus sees the end from the beginning, and the role my life plays in His story. It is a story of redemption, of sacrifice, of a love worth dying for, and I am happy to be included in His masterpiece.

Hagar was in a dry desert place, her search for water felt futile, so she decided to just give up the fight...but then something amazing happened. God sent an angel of The Lord to her in her distress, and encouraged her so Hagar found out one of God's names in a deep and personal way: El Roi, the God who sees. I was having a not so great day, though I tried to keep my anxious thoughts at bay, I could feel the cares and worry nagging at the back of my mind. Then something amazing happened while I was getting coffee, a stranger came up to me and began pouring words of encouragement into my soul, and like Hagar I could say God sees me. You see it's not just the giants in your life that He's interested in slaying, but even the small cares of your life concern Him, because He cares for you and delights for you to not only know about His many names, but to also experience them first hand.

Of all the biblical characters and stories, I've always felt the most affinity with Joseph. Joseph was a dreamer, and when he was around seventeen The Lord gave him a dream that was apparently so real and vivid to him, that he held on to it : through the pit, slavery, and wrongful imprisonment. The bible never mentions that Joseph became bitter, angry, or disillusioned; instead in Psalms 105:19 it says " Until the time that his word came: the word of The Lord tried him ." You see Joseph knew without a doubt that The Lord had personally given him a word. Yet in his present circumstances he could not see how that word would come to pass...so his dream tested his faith. But thank God that He has his appointed time and seasons in our lives, for  when the time came about thirteen years after Joseph first had his dream, God lifted him up to a place of stature, and brought his dream to pass. That story encourages me, that no matter how long it may take God's word to come to ...

Life is just a breath, a mist, like a dream-too short. Forgive, make room for errors: we are only human. Laugh, love , treasure each day. Keep sight of what's really important.

I want to tell you about someone I know...I've known him all my life, and think of him as my forever friend. He knows everything about me: the good, the bad, and even the things I'm ashamed of...yet he still chooses to love me. When I think of just how deeply he loves me, it really blows my mind...I've never known love like this : selfless and unconditional. His are the arms I run to whenever I feel down or afraid, and it doesn't matter how late it is, whenever I call he answers. He tells me I'm beautiful, tells me I'm worth dying for, he has totally changed my outlook on life for the better. I want to introduce you to my friend, his name is Jesus, and he would love to get to know you better... Via

Isaiah 61:3 King James Version (KJV) To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified. From the ashes You've drawn me, Carried me from the midst of darkness to an everlasting light, With unconditional love You've healed me, Bound up the wounds which lay beneath the surface, You've replaced sorrow with joy and given me beauty for ashes, Oh Lord You are good, this I know full well and because of Your great love, I can stand and declare that it is well with my soul,

Pray all the time.  If necessary, use words. God forgets the past.  Imitate Him. Greed I’ve often regretted.  Generosity—never. In buying a gift for your wife, practicality can be more expensive than extravagance. Here’s another:  Don’t ask God to do what you want.  Ask God to do what is right. You’ll give up on yourself before God will. Flattery is fancy dishonesty. You’ll regret opening your mouth.  You’ll rarely regret keeping it shut. And I’ll close with this one:    To see sin without grace is despair.  To see grace without sin is arrogance.  To see them in tandem is conversion ! -Max Lucado 

And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day God delights to speak to us, and while He does often speak audibly and in a variety of ways, most often it is a still small voice in the cool of the day. It might be that time early in the morning when you're halfway between sleep and wakefulness, when your body and mind are both at rest, the myriad of upcoming daily activities not yet crossing your subconscious, and God not having to vie for your attention ...that's how it happens for me. I once heard a pastor describe God as a gentleman who won't force Himself on you, and that is so true...He gently speaks words of love to us, an unconditional love that stands this test of time, not that we ever did anything to deserve it, nor can we ever earn it : it is a gift. For God is love, and immutable, He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Could it be that God is trying to speak words of love to you today?

I was talking to a friend the other day about the overwhelming goodness of The Lord...and looking at my life I was just amazed at how good He is to me. Having given us Jesus as an atoning sacrifice if God never gave us one more thing it would be okay, but He doesn't stop there does He? No, like the song says: morning by morning new mercies I see...If He only ever gave us life that would be enough, but He has also made our daily provision His responsibility that's why one of His names is Jehovah Jireh, The Lord who provides. Will you take a chance on trusting Him to provide today? Whatever it is that you lack, call on Him in prayer, He will never let you down.

Rest verb 1. cease work or movement in order to relax, refresh oneself, or recover strength. Jesus says come to me all who are weary, and heavy laden, and I will give you rest for your souls. What does rest look like to you? For me I imagine the place of rest as a secluded beach somewhere sunny, with one slow moving wave that creeps across the sand...yet even if I was in that place of relaxation, I don't think I would necessarily be at rest, nope I'd be planning various activities to ensure that I made the most out of my allotted time...and I don't believe that a dream vacation is what Jesus had in mind, no His heart is for us to enter His rest and remain in His rest. This life can often feel like a perpetual treadmill set to the highest speed, but Jesus' invitation remains: rest .

…somewhere in the world, but some days will be filled with rain, and dark clouds that block out the sun's beautiful rays ;even though I'm an island girl who often wishes for perpetual Summer, I understand that those rain filled days are just as important . I mean looking back at my life I've never felt the presence of Jesus as closely the times that everything was going perfectly in my life, as much as when the storm clouds began to gather, and the winds began to lash over my life, and trial after trial appeared on every side. It was those times that my faith began to be exercised, and enlarged. God is a good father, and though He does not cause the bad things in this world, He will allow them to work as a refiner's fire that removes the dross from our lives. Jesus states that in this world we will have trouble, but He also tells us to be of good cheer because He overcame the world. To me that means that I don’t have to do it alone, He has already finished the task…so ...

Often in life we believe that it’s those times in life when everything is going well that God is with us-that might look like a great hair day, a yummy meal with friends, or even a courtesy cup of coffee at church-but is that really the case? I mean in the bible it talks about a time when Jesus was with His disciples, and a strong storm arose. A storm so powerful that they feared for their lives, and what was Jesus doing in the midst of this storm you may ask? Since I like you I’ll let you know…He was sleeping. Yup in the middle of gale force winds, He was so sure of His father’s love and control that He could have peace in the middle of the storm. I try to remind myself of this when the storms in my life seem to come out of no where…”chill your Father’s got this, you will get through to the other side.”

I’ve never been a fan of waiting…I’m the girl that dives head first into the ocean and once I’m under water conveniently remembers that I need to hold my breath. Yup that’s me in a nut shell. But wonders of wonders lately and when I say lately I mean the last few years -I’ve felt God working on that part of me. Prompting me to rest, not try to map out my own life, but wait …and wait, and wait. Sigh at least that’s how it’s felt to me, like I’ve been placed in the waiting room of life. But something remarkable has been happening to me in this seemingly endless white space…it starts as a quiet whisper. A whisper so gently soft yet so powerful, and I can only hear it when I rest from my own work, my own will to do. I hear God speak to me that He holds me in His hands and that His grace is sufficient for whatever life holds in store. When I hear this I begin to relax; I mean we’re talking about the Author of life, the One with unlimited wisdom, surely I can trust Him with my life…I mean He...

I want to share the hope I have in Jesus. He is my real living hope…you see I once walked in darkness, without hope and totally unaware of the riches in grace and mercy that were available to me. You see I had always known of God but never truly knew him personally. I mean as large and wide as this world is, why would He care about my heart, my pain? But you see I was totally wrong-He does. It was when I was at my lowest point without any possible rescuer in sight that I cried out to Him…and guess what? He answered me. And I’m sure without a shadow of a doubt that if you too are in that dark place of hopelessness that He will hear you when you call…because more than Lord of all He is a father that loves…in fact He loves so deeply that He gave His only son as a ransom for many . I don’t know about you but to me that is the true definition of love, and while this journey called life is filled with obstacles I know that my Father is one call away.

Hello, I’m glad you’re here. I’ve always found the written word as the best means of connecting, whether with my self (spilling the deep things of my soul when pen touches paper) or with others. A big part of my life is my faith in God and this journey called life that we’re on, that can sometimes be filled with valleys, not just the beautiful sun filled summits we would prefer. I believe life is so much easier when we do it together, sharing not just the edited photos that show a perfect life, but openly showing those scars we often conceal. I want you to know that this is a safe place and in Jesus we are overcomers.