Joy Unspeakable

 

37 years ago I walked into Pastor Jack Hayford’s, Church on the Way in Van Nuys, Ca. The church was only 500 members at the time. I was completing a college anthropology assignment, which comprised of visiting a church and writing up a summary of my experience.

Boy was I in for a surprise! I sat up front and was so impacted thinking, I want what these people have. Joy was flowing like I had never experienced before. When Jack gave an altar call, I quickly raised my hand and my life has never been the same!

 

 27 years later, I went with my spiritual father to our spiritual birthing place, Israel. What a 2nd thrill that was. Now today, 10 years later, he is comimg to Redding, CA to minister to our family at Bethel the next few days. That joy of the Lord that I experienced 37 years ago is still alive more than ever!

 

~The Quilted Poetess

Authenticity

Isn’t is refreshing to meet and talk with someone who is real, transparent and authentic? It’s like a breath of fresh air in the midst of a world of stuffiness.  I am not saying that when I do, I always feel akin or in agreement with such a person, but oh, how I value others who are free to be and express themselves. 

Free to laugh at what they find funny; free to cry at what brings them pain. Free to express passion, frustration, obsession, confusion, or whatever color of the rainbow of emotion they are feeling.

Free to feel and express, but also free to temper destructive emotions and actions with self-control. Meekness has been described as power under control.  I believe authenticity, or the freedom to be yourself comes with responsibility. The responsibility of valuing your own self-expression, but not at the expense of others. 

This takes maturity. Maturing is a process of growth that takes time and practice. Like anything else through trials and errors we will make some messes along the way that we need to clean up, but I believe they will be well worth the risk. 

Valuing yourself not according to a cultural norm, but giving credence to your uniqueness and abilities regardless of the cultural norm is what I am talking about. This also is a process. It begins by taking the time to discover yourself. Discovering your likes, dislikes, interests, opinions, loves, hates, etc. 

Celebrating others in the freedom of their diversity is also a key component.  Not everyone is going to agree with, or be like you and that is O.K., an actually a part of what makes life interesting.

Authenticity. The sheer freedom of being yourself. Discovering and allowing yourself to become who you were created to be. This is the true taste of life we each have to offer one another and what I believe really brings glory to our God. 

I encourage you today to make and take the time to get acquainted with yourself.  Take yourself on a date.  Go out into the world and find out what you enjoy.  Be still and ponder what rocks your world. Then create opportunities to nourish those parts of you that are malnourished. Pamper yourself.  Challenge yourself, but most of all love yourself. Then go into all the world and share yourself with others~ even if no one else is beating to the same drum.  When you do, Jesus will shine through you more brightly than ever before!

~The Quilted Poetess

Intentional Faith

The message of the book of James sums up what I would call, Intentional Faith in 2 simple words~ Live it!  We’ve all heard it said that  Actions speak louder than words. If this is true, than how we choose to live will convey our chosen walk of faith, thus putting hands and feet to the intentions of what our heart truly beats for. 

What does your heart beat for? What motivates your daily activity? Whatever you are focus your time and attention on will mold and shape those choices. James 1:25 says, The man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it~ he will be blessed in what he does. 

Living a life of intentional faith begins with intentionally spending time in the scriptures. God has intentionally written a love letter to us for this very purpose. Looking intently and listening for direction for daily living is the first step.

Secondly, putting into practice what we hear and learn. This is when faith develops what I like to refer to as substance. The promise in this scripture encourages us not to forget what we have heard, but to do it and when we do, we will be blessed. Until we actually become doers of what Holy Spirit breathes into our spirits, there is no exchange of real life.  

As Christians, we can sit and have our quiet time with God all day long~ thinking and feeling happy thoughts, but UNTIL we actually get out of those chairs and become intentional by living out our faith,  we have not really accomplished anything.

True freedom comes when we put God’s Words into practice. Freedom from the bondage and chains that come from living in a fallen world. Freedom from ourselves and the enemy.  Living out intentional faith brings freedom and blessing to us, to others, and brings glory to God.

Choose with me today to look intently into His Word and live intentionally.  It happens one day at a time, moment by moment. In not time those days will become weeks and those weeks will become months and those months will become years. The next thing you know, your life will be on big experience of the abundant life that He has promised.

~The Quilted Poetess

The Waiting Room of Life

Is there anything you’ve been WAITING for?  I think all of us have something of things that are near and dear to our hearts that are in the Waiting Room of Life. The real question is, During the WAIT, just what are we to do?

Do? I  might ask, but that is exactly what often appears to be the problem. More times than not, we find that what we DO does not birth the breakthrough. Now why is that when we know we are called to co-labor with God in the birthing process? For reasons unknown to us, those particular babies of Promise are awaiting Divine intervention.  Divine intervention is an act of God that occurs in God’s perfect timing and His perfect way bringing forth and ushering in those long-awaited babies.

Anyone pregnant?  As we all know in the natural realm it can take 9 long months from inception to delivery before birth takes place.  In the spiritual realm I have found the WAIT can be much, much longer.  But does that mean we give up believing?  Absolutely not!

No, we don’t give up and no, we don’t give in.  We don’t give in to hopelessness, despair and unbelief. If God has said it we believe it and we wait. Sometimes patiently; sometimes impatiently, but we wait.  We wait and we pray.

Yes, prayer is our part of the delivery process; seeking, asking, knocking, and yes, waiting,  but while waiting, believing that our baby of Promise will be born; believing that breakthrough will come.

The 3 most important words to remember are: Don’t Give Up!    When the wait seems forever, and you are feeling weak and defeated, ask others for prayer. Remind yourself of the Promise and call upon His name. Praise and worship and thank Him ahead of time for the breakthrough.  Remind yourself that everyone spends time in the Waiting Room of Life; such is common to man.

One day breakthrough will come and that day will be glorious!  Joy will come in the morning; dancing will replace weeping.  beauty will come out of ashes. All will rejoice with you as you hold your baby of Promise in your arms and praise Jesus!

~The Quilted Poetess

Wisdom Will Make a Way

Today I was reading the story in Exodus of the Israelites great deliverance from Egypt.  The reading was coupled with Proverbs 1:20:33, which talks about the importance of wisdom.  Now as we know, Pharaoh did not exercise wisdom by honoring Moses’ request until after many, many losses were incurred by himself and his people.  If he had just done so by letting God’s people go sooner, so many lives would have been spared, not to mention so many other hardships not suffered.

The same is true for us today.  Wisdom calls at the doorposts of our hearts daily saying, This is the way, walk in it. Sometime we listen when Holy Spirit speaks to our heart and we are blessed in what we do. But sometimes not, and we also suffer loss because of it.  James reminds us of this in his epistle in chapter 1:25 when he says,The man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom and continues to do so, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it~ he will be blessed in what he does.

God’s ways are always ways that bring freedom into our life and that includes following His laws. When we listen and obey and do what they say, we are blessed.  Yes blessed by putting wisdom into practice.  Not always easy, but always worth it. 

Pharaoh had a hard heart, and although the passages in the Exodus story do say God hardened his heart…….in our case, I think we harden our hearts ourselves. Our lack of care and concern for asking, seeking, obeying and believing can dull our senses, and thus takes we often make poor decisions leading us in wrong directions. Lord, create in us a desire to commune with You; to soak in Your Word of freedom and the grace to put the wisdom you speak to us through Your words of life into action.  Soften our hearts……gives us daily hearts of flesh and remove any hardness that develops due to our poor choices.  Thank you that you circumcise our hearts daily. Your wisdom will always make a way for us to experience life and life abundantly to cross any Red Sea.

Great wisdom comes from God, and God gives wisdom freely;

the what to do of knowing, the when to go of going.

It’s given most assuredly, without doubt and unreservedly;

through association and relation, with the God of all creation.

For this wisdom’s given generously, at no cost or currency;

no monetary value, can afford this priceless key.

Through His Son it’s given liberally, from the Spirit and the Father;

through His Word to all Believers, we can all become receivers.

Insight, all comprehension, understanding, revelation;

wisdom’s vast enormous treasures, that are limitless, without measure.

More than all your heart can fathom, or your mind can yet imagine;

just inquire, ask, seek for, it’s the key to unlock the door.

When you ask and cry aloud, wisdom can and will be found;

as you listen be attentive, for He longs to give perspective;

new understanding, answers, clarification, novel solutions, vision, explanation.

Once received, please do respond, to all He says and does convey;

instantaneously, without delay, from the start, please do obey.

Don’t just ask Him and seek for, then walk away and out the door;

leaning to your own perception, sauntering in your own direction;

allowing worldly wisdom to mislead you, woo, persuade, entice, deceive you.

But respond to oh so willingly, to all His Spirit is revealing;

and your life will bear great fruit, filled with blessing and with favor;

yielding a crop of bountiful produce, for all to experience and to savor.

Righteousness filled with tranquil hope, untold riches will unfold;

and be yours in enormous measure, a harvest of wealth for all to treasure.

 ~Wisdom

When He marked the foundations of the earth, I, wisdom, was the craftsman at His side. 

 Blessed is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my doors, waiting at my doorway.

                                                                     For whoever finds me, finds life and receives favor from the Lord.                                                                       

 Proverbs 8: 29b, 30a, 34-35

~The Quilted Poetess 

 

 

A Lifestyle of Honor

Recently, I’ve been reading Danny Silk’s book, Culture of  Honor.  The subject of Honor has been near and dear to my heart for years.  Personally. learning to grasp, implement and make it the heartbeat of my life has been a lifelong quest. It has not been easy, but well worth the journey. Below. I will share a few of my current thoughts on the topic you might enjoy pondering for yourself.

Danny Silk says that honor is not an idea, but a practice of living.  It is a byproduct of having what he calls a wealthy mindset.  He comments that riches are not what make someone wealthy. Having a wealthy mindset is something that happens internally within a person. It is not about money, idolatry, but about freedom.

Those with a wealthy mindset might do the following:

• Take on greater responsiblity to both understand the Kingdom’s priorities and God’s Presence and anointing.
• Be willing to leave the limitations of what we have come to accept as security, comfort and influence (our comfort zone), and instead, focus our time, energy and resources on Heaven’s agenda.
• Participate in a flow of Heaven to earth by embracing Christ’s command to seek 1st the Kingdom of God~while trusting Him to take care of our needs.
• Go beyond what others expect from us and the identity they see us with. 
• Not focus all our time and energy on surviving, but instead upon thriving. This requires trust in God and a renewal of thinking, which includes a mindset of generosity.  A definition for this type of generosity could be one of seeing the favor and privilege of your life as one with responsibility to bring nourishment and strength to the environment around. you.  

As  Danny Silks says,  Believers with a wealth class will expect much more in their experience with God than salvation. While that is good and they are happy they are going to Heaven, these believers are very aware of what life on earth is supposed to be like. They know there is more provision, beauty, power, and joy that they could ever exhaust, so they make sure they are living in it every day, all day long.  Anything less would be ridiculous.

In other words, freedom to live a lifestyle of honor would be one of putting these things into practice by believing in the limitless resources God makes available to us and honoring the weight of what we are each called to do with them through seeking worthy causes to pour both your life and these  resources into. 

Investing our resources into worthy causes and people is our supreme honor, because as we do so Danny says we are imitating the One who has honored us. Bill Johnson, leader at Bethel Church in Redding,  Ca., says, We owe people an encounter with God. We own them this honor.  

Honor is given to others on the basis of who they are~ not what they have earned or what they need.  In Danny’s words, Each person we encounter is one that Christ has honored in His life, death and resurrection. The person may not know who he is from an eternal standpoint, but we do, and when we have a wealthy mindset and a love of honor, we will treat them accordingly. 

Today, I encourage you to go to the next step in embracing and practicing a lifestyle of honor.  Make this your goal you also teach it to your children so they also can learn to give away the limitless resources of the Kingdom.

As we each choose this lifestyle, we as the Body of Christ will cover the earth with the knowledge and the glory of God!

-The Quilted Poetess

Preserve the Peace

I was reading this morning in Mark 9 where Jesus instructs His disciples saying, Be preservatives yourself, preserve the peace. This verse struck me. As I thought about it, I realized that preservatives are used in foods to keep them fresh, alive, and lasting~ and that we can also do the very same thing.

After His death Jesus appeared  to His disciples and the very first words recorded that He spoke to them were, Peace, I give to you.  Reconciliation with God through Jesus’ sacrifice on our behalf has brought us each that very same peace.  Jesus, the Prince of Peace now lives and resides in us. Peace is a fruit of His Spirit that flows within. Because it flows within, we too, as Jesus did, can give it out to others. Our very presence in an atmosphere can emit peace.

The kingdom of God is righteousness, joy and peace in the Holy Spirit. Peace is the atmosphere of heaven and as we live and breathe in that atmosphere, that atmosphere flows through us.

We are God’s conduits of peace to this world. Our actions and very words can usher peace into our environments that can become a preservative if you will that creates life.  What an honor and privilege.

Before Christ, my life was filled with constant anxiety, fear and shame.  Now with Christ living in me, peace has become my daily portion, both preserving and enhancing my life.  I am so thankful I now live in peace.  Peace like a river flowing inside, over and through me.

This is a true gift of life we offer to others, but as with any gift, it needs to be received and unwrapped to be experienced. May the Prince of Peace fill your heart and life today with His peace, and may you also become a preservative to all that surround you!

Jesus,

You are the Prince of Peace

Abiding and living in me;

Flooding my soul like a river

My mind and my thoughts;

My heart and emotions

Producing the fruit of peace.

Quiet, calm, soothing stillness

Settling over my life;

Weaving in an out

Of daily activities;

Conversations, decisions

Disappointments, joys.

As I wait upon You

In circumstances and abide;

Surrendering and casting cares

Thoughts and concerns to You;

I am comforted and find rest

All is well; You are there.

~Prince of Peace

Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace at all  times and in every way.

2 Thessalonians 3:16

~The Quilted Poetess

 

 

 

Sprinkled with Wildflowers

I just finished reading a scripture passage in The Message Bible where Jesus likened the disciples sitting on the hill during one of His sermons to a patchwork quilt of colorful wildflowers sprinkled on the green grass.   I loved this visual and it instantly brought to my remembrance my beloved friendships! 

I am so thankful for the fragrant, colorful, and brilliantly bright friendships in my bouquet.  As I reflect on each one, my heart leaps with pleasurable excitement. Sunflowers, roses, daisies, lilacs………and so many MORE!  You know who you are.  Each one, a sweet-smelling fragrance that has led me in triumphal procession to Christ, the Ultimate Wildflower. At times, as I like a hummingbird have drunk from the nectar you’ve produced and  been strengthened and encouraged.  At other times, the nectar of my own wildflower has nourished you.

How I thank God He has made such a diverse and unique array of wildflowers; every shape, size, color and  smell.  Each hand-picked and given as a gift to enhance my bouquet, making it soo much more interesting and fulfilling.  Relationships, one of the greatest gifts given.  How I treasure each one like pure gold. 

Some of you wildflowers have been given to me for a reason and some for a season. Others have never wilted, and become wildflower’s forevermore! Whether short of long-lived, each has been and are a tremendous blessing in my life.

Beholding memories and good times spent, while also dreaming of those in the future to dream for!  Why not join me today in gazing and savoring the wildflower array in your life?  There’s no better way to  spend this beautiful Saturday.

~The Quilted Poetess