She Stands

                                                                Photo by Jeremy Bishop on Unsplash Matthew 25:7-10 7 “Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. 8 The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’ 9 “‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’ 10 “But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut. And the door was shut.... That small sentence packs a multitude of profoundness. Not only does it stop me in my tracks, but it also brings a holy fear to my soul.  Holy fear is a fear that does not drive us away from the Lord but to the Lord. To f...

                                                                             I can remember as a young child picking dandelions to make a wish. Eyes tightly shut, face all smooshy and distorted to the point of my eyelids disappearing beneath my lashes; the wishes I had were life altering, or at least in my budding heart they were. One after the other, I would blow those dandelion seeds until the perching of my lips caused my face to start to tingle. The more I picked, the harder I would blow in the expectation of my hearts desires to birth right there in that moment.  I cannot remember the specifics of my many wishes. I can only recall the warm summers my tiny hands would pluck those dandelions in the hopes of one, if not all, of my wishes would show thems...

"Way maker, miracle worker, promise keeper, light in the darkness... my God, that is who You are."  Those lyrics depict my life as single mom when my girls where children living at home. I struggled raising my children, and I struggled hard.  Struggling was not a choice I made; it was a reality of a single mom working long hours on low wages.  As very young children I do not believe my girls realized the struggles their mom had, but as teenagers I know the reality was front faced for them both.   Seeing what some of their peers had versus what they may have lacked in material things broke this mama's heart time and time again.   I know material possessions are not the end all be all of life, however for a teenager it can be in their world. And it caused some resentment in my home.  Teenage years are tough. Not only for the parent but for the teenager trying to find their way and their purpose in life. There were times, I believed I had failed...

The  bible defines darkness as ignorance and light as knowledge. To live in the darkness of the world causes one to live in ignorance, but to live in the light of Christ allows one to live in knowledge. Whatever we give ourselves to, it will give back in the same measure we use. Are you giving in to darkness (ignorance) or surrendering to light (knowledge )?   - Ron Carpenter. I go back to those words again and again. Their resonating sound in my heart causes me to pause as I take in a deep breath and exhale. I can hear the tapping of these words running through my mind. It can be so easy to slip into the world of ignorance, to trust what we choose to believe rather than what we know to be truth. Darkness/ ignorance does not always appear to be what one would call red flags shouting for us to stop. Many times, it appears wrapped in a pretty package clothed in what we believe to be real, and yet the true agenda is hidden behi...

                                                         Photo Credit:  The Chosen    Seeing Jesus in the form of a man has been a life challenge for me. I know he is real. I know he walked on earth as living breathing flesh. But growing up I could never connect to the reality of the flesh side of him. I could not understand how someone I could not tangibly see could really love me.   Until now.... In my 50ish years my journey has led me straight to the face of my Jesus. And my own well of sorts.   Relating to the woman at the well has not only become a reflection of my own brokenness but a source of my healing.  Jesus never intended for what broke me to have a lifetime hold on me. I did that. I was my own judge. And juror.  Daily...

                                                                    Photo by Nick Morrison on Unsplash Some days, I can feel the words in me swirling like a small tornado. On other days, words are hard to find. But. Today. There is no rhythm or reason to the words in my spirit. They swirl with their own life, waiting to be introduced to the world. There is no one story in particular only words that are bursting to be written. Today, I will write. From a place that has stained my heart with tears... From a place that has brought unexplained joy to my soul... From all that has moved me into a grace that can only be from Jesus himself. Never mind if the tale of my words jumps from one universe to another, if they intertwine as unmatched threads having no connection whatsoever. Just ...