FOR FREEDOM, FOR LOVE

On this night of deliverance
Our freedom was bought by just One.
Who seemed of no significance
When the horrific deed was done.

Who, in His sacrifice, died once for all
He redeemed the broken, the fallen, the weak.
While self appointed judges looked upon Him appalled,
Those who believed stood watching unable to speak.

The Bread of Life, the blood outpoured.
As the earth shook and the thunder roared,
Tears flowed and tempers soared.
Sacrificed as the Lamb unblemished.
As grace grew and sin diminished,
He gasped His last breath and uttered “It is finished”.

In victory, the veil was torn.
A new age of redemption and healing was born
Through the one and only Son so scorned.
He ushered in the law of liberty.
In tremendous triumph, the cold tomb lay empty.
Death is defeated; we are no longer held guilty.

All for Freedom.
All for love.
Mighty as a Lion.
Yet gentle as a dove.

Into the wind we sing praises to His name.
For Freedom, for life ever after, for amazing love.
In unity, in spirit we are one the same
Because of this beautiful gift of God from heaven above.

All glory and honor and praise to our Heavenly Father and our Messiah, Jesus the Christ through Whom we have the gift of life eternal!

IN THE EYE OF THE HURRICANE

For the past six months, I've been on a boat in the middle of the sea....with Jesus, Son of the Living God.

He invited me there. I stepped out in faith, out of my comfort zone, into uncharted waters. Reluctantly. In submission to His will. Not my choice but His. Surrounded by uncertainty (to some degree). Waiting....

My sea has not been one of glass just yet. Still some waves crashing on the sides now and then. The wind was still, quiet sometimes, leaving us a drift which left me wondering a bit. Nonetheless, I remained in the boat as I know it is not time to get out of the boat just yet.

God has been faithful, during this quiet time, in providing blessings along the way to bring me peace and focus while I wait. He has given me an abundance of opportunity to spend time with Him in prayer, in fasting, in study and in fellowship.

Sailing was relatively smooth until January. Then I was hit by a very unexpected storm. It built slowly but, in a matter of days, it became a hurricane!

I came down with pneumonia. A very serious case of pneumonia. So much so that I became hospitalized. First time ever!

At first, the doctors weren't sure it was pneumonia. The antibiotics didn't appear to be effective. I was poked with way too many needles, hooked up to a symphony of noisy machines, exposed to too many gamma rays (my husband tells me I don't yet glow in the dark) and had a thermometer stuck in my mouth more times in a week than I did a fork! A good night's sleep was reduced to multiple catnaps during the course of a 24 hour period. A shower consisted of dry soap used in the important areas; the rest of me had to wait for a week for the kind of soap you use with water. Not the hotel of my choosing!

My heart missed my family. I missed my own bed, my own pillow, my shower and my kitchen. The thought of death did cross my mind (as people do die from pneumonia)......

......but only for a moment! All those weeks of abiding in Him were beginning to bear fruit! From the first moment in the doctor's office, into the ER, and once admitted. In an instant. I did not recognize myself.......because it wasn't me, it was the power of His Spirit.

My normal questioning, anticipating-the-worst self took a hiatus! No feelings of stress or panic. I surrendered to His will at that moment and became transformed. I had peace, I was calm. My eyes were on Him. I was truly in the eye of the storm! I heard Him speaking to me in chaos and through circumstances, saw Him in the people who came to visit me, those who helped with meals for my family, and helped out with home schooling. I sensed His love and saw His provision.

   It is not that I am looking for a gift. 

No, I want to see that you receive the fruit that increases to your benefit.  

 I have been paid in full and have more than enough. 

I am fully supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus what you sent—a fragrant aroma, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God.   

And my God will fully supply your every need 

according to his glorious riches in the Messiah Jesus.   

Glory belongs to our God and Father forever and ever! Amen. 

Phillipians 4:17-20

And, I became empowered through His Spirit to minister to others. I took my focus off of my pain and struggle, focusing instead upon others in the hospital. I took personal interest in almost everyone who I came in contact with during my stay. Even when they were sticking me with needles, giving me treatments, or taking me to the X-ray lab in a wheelchair. Despite my illness, my mind and heart had the energy to touch the lives of others. By His provision. By His grace.

The joy it brought me to be used in this way by God is indescribable. The sense of purpose in Him was magnified in me. Through it all, He was glorified!

Our gracious Lord took a stressful, unpleasant experience and truly used it for good and for His glory. I am healed physically by His hand as I did most of my recovery at home without antibiotics. I am healed spiritually by His power within me as I yielded to His sovereignty, His authority, and died a spiritual death to self in that moment. Thy will be done.

 Jeremiah said, “They won’t turn you over. Obey the Lord 

in what I’m telling you, and it will go well for you and you will live.   

But if you refuse to surrender, this is what the Lord has shown me:  

Look, all the women who are left in the house of the king of Judah 

will be brought out to the officers of the king of Babylon, and will say,

‘These friends of yours have mislead you
    and overcome you.
Your feet have sunk down into the mire,
    but they have turned away.’

Jeremiah 38:20-22

No struggle, no questioning, just obedience. In turn, He empowered me to touch lives, to bring light, to speak life into others. To be a light in a dark world, in a place filled with stress and suffering. Even when my own circumstances had dark possibilities. Therein lies the beauty of His provision. He knew the hurricane was coming and He prepared me for it during those months of quiet. He prepared me to survive it, to overcome, and to serve Him.  Not just through submission. Through surrender. This time it was my choice! He showed me the way....

I'm still in the boat riding the wind and the waves with my Savior. It is still not time to step out onto the water just yet. My hospital experience was a test run. My strength comes from my God alone. And, the victory belongs to Jesus!

SEA OF GLASS

You remember the story....

Jesus was taking the boat to the opposite shore to get away from the crowds. He asked his disciples to join Him.

 A violent windstorm came up, and the waves began breaking into the boat, 

so that the boat was rapidly becoming swamped.

 But Jesus was in the back of the boat, asleep on a cushion. 

So they woke Him up and asked Him, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to die?”

Mark 4:37-38 

The sea was calm and peaceful at the start. There was no hesitation from anyone as to whether they should make the journey. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, a storm of great magnitude came upon them! They panicked, felt helpless, uncertain and incredibly fearful and out of control.

Life does that to us more than we care to admit. Totally blindsides us, sidelines us. Events surprise us. Circumstances catch us unaware. "Why me?!" "Not again!" Rather than act, we react. We react with...

Of course, there is a healthy type of fear, a rational fear, that helps rather than hinders. The fear that we sense when something truly dangerous to our health and well being is threatening.

The type of fear we experience that interferes with all that we are created to be for His glory is irrational fear. Self doubt, insecurity, persecution. Fear of rejection, failure or exclusion. Fear of being alone, forgotten. The list goes on. The weight of this type of fear drags us down. It is baggage bearing great weight that drags us under. We carry it with us at all times. 

We choke on it. It suffocates. We retreat with it. It inhibits us.  It steals our joy. It is a thief. And, worst of all, 

Yes, fear is a liar.

I am in a season of uncertainty in my journey in this life. This past year has brought changes, heartache, challenge and, yes, fear. The past eleven years I have been plagued by it. And, honestly, as I look back, fear has been lying to me my entire life.

Recently, nothing terribly serious has happened but yet a series of unfortunate events have changed my life in ways that I didn't expect. It has brought me, in some ways, out of my comfort zone. Into uncharted waters. I've been set off course to a new destination.

Fear of the unknown. Fear of failure. Fear of the future. Fear of being hurt, alone, forgotten.

Most of all, fear of not making my life count for His glory. 

I long to be on a sea of glass with my sails unfurled headed with eyes focused upon my certain destination. A sea of calm, a sea of tranquility. Perfect wind in my sails. A gentle breeze on my face. Pleasant temperatures surrounding my presence. A heart full of joy and anticipation in what lies ahead.

I long to set sail with no fear, no regrets, no uncertainty. In or out of my comfort zone. Gazing at the beauty of sunrise and sunset in the clear, endless sky. Gazing at the still moon's reflection over glassy waters beneath my skiff. Resting my head with confidence and sleeping a deep, undisturbed sleep. Just like Jesus did. But I can't. Fear has whispered lies and I've listened. I am fearful of what lies ahead....

Then He got up, rebuked the wind, and told the sea, “Calm down! Be still!” 

Then the wind stopped blowing, and there was a great calm.   

He asked them, “Why are you such cowards? Don’t you have any faith yet?”

 Overcome with fear, they kept saying to one another, “Who is this man? 

Even the wind and the sea obey him!”

Mark 4:39-41

Or can I? With Jesus, yes, I can do all of that. Even in the here and now. He promises His presence. Always. He promises me a future and a hope. He promises me that He will never leave me of forsake me. He promises He will be my strength and my guide. He promises me that He will go before me. He is for me and not against me. And, so much more!

Tear your hearts, not your garments; 

and turn back to the Lord your God. 

For He is gracious and compassionate, slow to become angry, 

overflowing in gracious love, and grieves about this evil.

Joel 2:13 

Fear is a liar. The author of fear is the evil one, the father of lies, the devil himself. He wants us to fear and to run and hide. He wants us to doubt ourselves. He wants us to doubt every one of God's promises. He wants us, most of all to doubt His perfect, unconditional love for us. He wants us to question our very purpose and the reason for our existence. His desire is to render us unbelieving and ineffective for the Kingdom of God.

 This is how love has been perfected among us: 

we will have confidence on the day of judgment because, 

during our time in this world, we are just like him.  

There is no fear where love exists. 

Rather, perfect love banishes fear, for fear involves punishment, 

and the person who lives in fear has not been perfected in love. 

1 John 4:17-18

Where is my faith? Where is my faith in the storms of life when the wind and sea rage and I'm being tossed about like a boat in the ocean? Are my eyes fixed on the One True God? Is Jesus my anchor?

The devil would have me think that my Lord and my God has abandoned me. "I will never leave you or forsake you" says the Lord. I am NOT alone. Nothing is too big for Him to handle!

For you, God, tested us,
    to purify us like fine silver.
You have led us into a trap
    and set burdens on our backs. 

 You caused men to ride over us.
    You brought us through fire and water,
        but you led us to abundance.

Psalms 66:10-12

Read the last part of that verse. Over and over again. Abundance. He brings us through the fire to a life of abundance!

I can have that sea of glass as long as my heart and mind are stayed upon Him. Yes, here and now. I need to get on the boat, as His disciple, and stay there. Despite wind, rain and torrent. I must not abandon the ship.

I cannot listen to the lies that fear whispers.  The Lord has promised me the peace that surpasses all understanding and the gift of His Spirit to guide. I know His purposes. I know His promises. I know His plans. I know His unfailing love. I know my destination. I know the evil one has already been defeated!

But when I am afraid,

I will put my trust in you.

I praise God for what He has promised.

I trust in God, so why should I be afraid?

What can mere mortals do to me? 

Psalms 56:3-4

Where there is fear, His love has been cast out, rejected. Where fear exists, there is lack of trust, belief, love and faith in Him. Where His love exists, fear cannot exist simultaneously. Fear becomes fallacy and love and truth reign supreme.

 

FEAR NOT

Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. 

I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’ 

Isaiah 41:10

For I, the Lord your God, will hold your right hand, 

Saying to you, ‘Fear not, I will help you.’ 

Isaiah 41:13

I must confess that, for me in this moment, I have to consciously make this choice. Out of obedience to Him knowing He is love. Out of obedience, fruit will come forth. Each day that passes will be born of love rather than fear. Each day, it will become a more natural, integral part of my being. The sea will become more and more a sea of glass... And, then, I will truly be ready to walk on water with Him.

Hallelujah! Give thanks to the Lord, since He is good, for His gracious love exists forever. 

Psalms 106:1

THE ONLY SOURCE

In our family, we're not much for watching television but do like to have a movie night once a week.  Usually family friendly stuff.  My youngest was at a sleepover last time so we decided to watch Source Code. (Honestly, I'd never heard of it but my husband requested it from Netflix.)

Interesting movie, engaging plot line. I won't be a spoiler but will share some detail as to what I find intriguing.

The main character is being sent back in time to figure out who set off a bomb on a commuter train killing hundreds. He has to go back again and again and again searching for more clues until he figures it out. The poor guy is confused, exhausted, frustrated and alone. Eventually, our hero solves the mystery, and, in turn, gets to make things right and inherits his freedom and a new future.

Right now, I feel very much like him. Uncertain, tired, frustrated (and a bit angry) and alone.

I'm in a fog. I'm in a holding pattern. I'm often just going through the motions. Though I know I am not alone as the Lord promises me that He is always with me, He is being very quiet, very subtle in guiding me through each day. He is keeping me waiting. Waiting upon Him, trusting Him, developing my faith and trust in light of the uncertainty of the future.

Days come and go. Some days are hard. Sleep is restless. The heart is heavy with hurt some days.

I know He is doing a work. The Light is there. Yet I still struggle even in the knowing. The days have turned into months. Years really. It is a slow process. I'm not getting any younger and most of it doesn't get any easier.

The journey is two-fold: 1) pulling out bad roots, ingrained habits that run long and deep and 2) making me rely solely upon Him and His will for me--no strongholds, no crutches, no dependencies-- so that He can lead me to a more meaningful purpose, one to which I've truly been called.

He tells me to remember that, for me, ALL is grace.

For us, ALL is grace.

We only get one shot at this life. Unlike my movie hero, I can't go back in time to change history or to make things right. I can't undo the wrongs that I've done or that have been done to me no matter how much I'd like to do it. But all is grace......

We must continually look to the only source. In His grace, it is not a race. Not a race against time to erase all the wrongs and make them right. No works to earn freedom and a new future. In Him, I am forgiven. In Him, I am redeemed. In Him, I'm given a future and a hope. In Him, we can 'pay it forward' rather than looking to the past.

He keeps no record of wrongs. He blots out our transgressions. He carries our shame.

He transforms me, if I yield to Him, and helps to relieve my burdens, give me rest, learn His ways. He helps me to forgive those who burdened me and love them anyway. Even those I might never see  again in this life.

All is grace. He makes me better going forward rather than going back in time. All is grace. Every breath I breathe. Every morning when I awaken. Every step I take. Every choice I make. He wants me to see, understand and embrace that grace. He supplies grace in every moment. I, too, need to give grace in every moment.

And, to give thanks. To give thanks during the pruning and plucking no matter how much it hurts. For me, giving thanks in difficulty has always been the hardest part.  "This is my will for you" He reminds me.

All is grace. His will is grace. His love is grace. He is grace. He is the only source that will get us through the toughest times, the deepest waters, the hardest hurts. Not only get us through but bring us through in glory. I don't deserve anything but, nonetheless, He gives me everything I could ever need. Undeserved, unmerited favor in the eyes of the Creator of the Universe....

Love. Light. Freedom. Future. GRACE.

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Lord’s Spirit is, there is freedom.  

As all of us reflect the glory of the Lord with unveiled faces, we are becoming more like Him with ever-increasing glory by the Lord’s Spirit. 

2 Cor 3:17-18

ALL is grace. Our Lord is the source. He is the only One Who can make all things right and just.

Therefore, if anyone is in the Messiah, he is a new creation. Old things have disappeared, and—look!—all things have become new! 

2 Cor 5:17

Praising Him for the good, the bad and the ugly, knowing He works ALL things together for good according to His PERFECT will.....!
 

Now if the ministry of death that was inscribed in letters of stone came with such glory that the people of Israel could not gaze on Moses’ face (because the glory was fading away from it), will not the Spirit’s ministry have even more glory? 

2 Cor 3:7-8

 

CEMENTED IN

Glue. Sometimes messy. Always sticky. A bonding agent.

Cement. Sometimes messy.  Mostly firm. A bonding agent.

When my sweet girl goes out with her friends on her own, I tell her "Stick together like glue."  Common cliche but I know she gets my meaning and the importance of it.

A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. Proverbs 18:24

When we make an agreement, we want it to be 'cemented in' or 'like concrete' so that it cannot be violated or broken.

You don't often hear the phrase "Stick together like cement."  Once things are bound by cement, they are practically inseparable.  It would take a high-powered jack hammer and a lot of time to break the cement into rubble and separate it from whatever it is binding or covering.

We like the flexibility of glue and the permanence of cement. And, each are necessary depending upon the task required. And yet....

We go about our days, our busyness, trying to manage the time and resources at our disposal. We work, we serve, we play. The nuts and bolts of life. So much to do, so little time. We stress. We have anxiety. We worry. We weigh everything on our 'to do' list and wonder how we are going to get it all done. We hope to remember everything we might forget.

We remember to hope for God's intervention. We even send up a quick prayer asking for the Lord's assistance. Maybe too little, too late. We put bandages on what we can, the quick fix, and salvage the rest as best we can.

We face temptation.  We ignore it, fight it with the flesh, try to fix it ourselves. We have temporary victories and pat ourselves on the back. Then it returns. It happens again. Eventually we come unglued and give into it. It rules our lives.

We do it our way rather than His. We fool ourselves into thinking that we know best. I know I do.

Too much glue. Not enough cement.

Too much busy. Too much self.

Not enough prayer. Not enough fasting. Not enough of Him.

We use glue when cement is what is needed most. Cement. Prayer. And fasting. Prayer and fasting.

Then John’s disciples came and asked him, “How is it that we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast?” Jesus answered, “How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast. Matthew 9:14-15

Prayer and fasting holds all of it together. Praying and fasting accesses the only One we will ever need in a much deeper, more intimate way. It invokes intercession and the power of His Spirit. It illuminates His Holy Word imparting wisdom and discernment. Our life, our works become focused on Him rather than on ourselves. We begin to understand His will, His ways, and follow His plans rather than our own.

Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And He who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose. Romans 8:26-28

As we, in earnest, seek Him, our will becomes in alignment with His. Our faith is increased, our trust is increased.

We acknowledge our weakness; He is magnified. We surrender to Him in weakness; He is glorified.

He told them, “Because of your lack of faith I tell all of you with certainty, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you. But this kind does not come out except by prayer and fasting.” Matthew 17:20-21

In our humility, He is mighty to use us as conduits for His love and grace. It prepares our hearts to receive what He has in store for us.

Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul.  While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off. Acts 13:1-3

In our repentance and dependance, He breaks the ties that bind, heals the wounds that hurt, pulls out the rotten roots that run deep and does a greater work in our hearts than we would have ever known.

In our surrender, He transforms, transfigures and heals us. 

Prayer and fasting. It is the conduit that brings it all together--His Word, His Spirit, His Will, His Purpose, His Glory--and bonds it together it like cement.  It builds a faith that is unshakable, immovable, unstoppable.

For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-29

UNSHAKABLE

IMMOVABLE

UNSTOPPABLE

I want to live like that.....!

SUDDENLY

Okay, I'll get right to the point. Our guinea pig died this afternoon. Suddenly. With very little warning.

To add insult to injury, we've only had Pippin for two and a half weeks. Inherited from a neighbor. Such a very short time. In a blink of an eye, Pippin was part of our family and then she was gone. No more chattering, no more crunching, no more life. Suddenly.

Precious Pippin

My sweet daughter is gentle-spirited, compassionate, kind-hearted and very much an animal lover. She realized something was wrong with Pippin this morning right away. So in tune. Now, my daughter is away and the guinea pig has passed.  I grapple with exactly how to tell her what as transpired in her absence when she returns home.

 

It is times like these that make very little sense especially to the young and innocent. (And, to apply reason when explaining sudden death to children is next to impossible.) Frankly, it doesn't always make a lot of sense to me.  It is heartbreaking not to mention a shock when so unexpected. And, it is times like these when it is most difficult to give thanks.  

Yet I do. 

• I give thanks to Him who created us and every creature that roams upon the earth, in the sky and under the sea. To love, to enjoy, to understand Him more and more.

• I give thank to Him for His marvelous creation and how it reveals His creativity, His depth, His glory, and His plan for the future for all of us.

• I give thanks to Him for my compassionate child whose depth of heart moves me to compassion, love, and hope in Him Who is the author of life, breathing life into us from the moment of conception and Who holds our time in His loving hands.

• I give thanks to Him for the opportunity to share this part of life, experiencing death, with my two precious gifts of life so that I can show them His glory even in the sad times, the difficult times.

•  I give thanks to Him for His perfect work in our hearts and His transforming power as He molds us into being like Him even though sometimes it hurts. It is times like these that we know we have life and we are living for Him and because of Him. It is times like these that we truly treasure His gift of eternal life.

"But, as it is written,

'What no eye has seen, nor ear heard,
    nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love Him...'" 
1 Corinthians 2:9

•  I give thanks to Him for the precious gift He gives us in the hope of His salvation, in the Kingdom to come where life springs eternal in a way that only He can give. In the blink of an eye....

"In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed." 1 Corinthians 15:52

Yes, He gives and He takes away. Yet, in each moment, there is something to be thankful for. For we know, no matter how dark it may seem in the moment, His love endures forever. For that reason alone, we can give thanks in all circumstances!

 "As soon as Solomon finished his prayer, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled the temple.  And the priests could not enter the house of the Lord, because the glory of the Lord filled the Lord's house. When all the people of Israel saw the fire come down and the glory of the Lord on the temple, they bowed down with their faces to the ground on the pavement and worshiped and gave thanks to the Lord, saying, “For He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever.” 
2 Chronicles 7:1-3

And, I must not forget to share that, just the other day, my lovely daughter mentioned that she'd like to have a pet rat or two. I did tell her that the guinea pig was enough for now; we'd consider rats once Pippin was no longer with us. Perhaps God's providence is upon us.....?! Either way, I ran out to the pet store and purchased two small rats who will be waiting for her when she returns home. To comfort, to heal her heart, and start again..... As His love would have it.
 

CONVERSATIONS

I'm an active listener by nature. Much more so than a talker. (My husband might disagree as he is always ready to lend an ear for me when I need it!) I express my love for others by my gift of time in listening, contemplating the words given, asking questions of interest and giving words of wisdom if the situation requires it.

A little more than five years ago, I was asked to join in my first experience with conversation prayer. Hmmmm....  I'm thinking to myself, "You mean you want me to talk out loud while I pray in front of all these people!?" "You want me to converse with my heavenly Father where everyone can hear me?!" A tough hurtle for someone who listens more than speaks. My throat begin to tighten, my mouth became dry, and my palms began to sweat. Uncomfortable! I enjoyed my prayer time with my Creator, one on one, but this format was definitely outside of my comfort zone.

The first few sessions, I listened. Just listened. (I am a good listener, remember?) I got the rhythm, the cadence of our group prayer time.  Okay. I will try it. I said something short and sweet.  During the next few meetings, I listened more than I contributed but did have a burning in my heart to share something more. There is power in the name of Jesus. Especially when two or more are gathered in His name. I felt empowered by His Spirit.

Once again, He humbled me.  He reminded me that this time was not about me but about Him.  He also reminded me that this conversation was to be Spirit-led rather than Me-led! So, I let go and let the Lord guide and the Spirit do the talking. I discovered:

• The beauty of fellowship in prayer led by the Spirit.

"And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers." 

Acts 2:42

•  The blessing of humility in service through prayer as the body of Christ. 

 “For at that time I will change the speech of the peoples to a pure speech, that all of them may call upon the name of the Lord and serve Him with one accord." 

Zephaniah 3:9

• The power behind prayer as we gather in His name in full accord and of one mind. For our comfort and joy!

"So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind." 

Philippians 2:1

Conversations. Two way conversations. Such a blessing and such a rarity. These days, meaningful conversation is truly a form of art, a skill learned and much needed to develop quality relationships among ourselves. And, with our Maker. Alone with Him or  together in one accord.

Listening is instrumental to a meaningful conversation. In prayer and with each other in conversation. Listen for His still small voice, His Holy Spirit to impart wisdom and discernment, to speak His will, to utter His love. He is ALIVE and speaks to those who humble themselves and are willing to listen.

He is always ready, available and such a good listener! I have grown to love conversational prayer and I still cherish my personal conversations with God! That face-to-face time is truly where I talk my heart and He speaks to it.  The blessings and benefits of collective prayer are amazing. As we pray, our desires and our wills become aligned with His and each other. Truly, we become of one mind in Christ.

And, believe it or not, I led a Conversational Prayer group as part of a weekly women's bible study as Prayer Chairman. Imagine that! If I hadn't stepped out of the comfort zone and into the 'unknown', He wouldn't have been able to use and bless me in so many ways!

Praising Him for the gift and power of prayer and a community that prays together! Praying that you find treasure, blessing and power in prayer in His name........