Choose Love, Give Life.

Jan 2, 2023—Note: I just found this forgotten article in my file, re-read it and feel it still applies, thus the new posting . . .

In 2023 what are your spheres of influence and what will you do about them? Do you know that the simple act of “reset” will cause profound changes in your life which directly affects the atmosphere around you? Do you know that with every interaction with the world you are giving life, or not? How does that work?

Are you curious enough about these questions to ask yourself, and God, about them. Yes, it helps to journal about this, then talk out loud to yourself and to others.

What is a reset? And, from what to what? Important questions.

    A reality: we are all hardwired in our habits in coping with life from what we learned over the first 5 to 10 years of our life. Our coping habits/style are set, hardwired. When we are overwhelmed we will do the same habits over and over.

   However: those who are in an active and personal relationship with Jesus, have a profound option: to do what Our Father does. Jesus died so we can live, but we must Choose Life (Deut 30:19, 20, and many other scriptures that teach us how to die to self and live in Christ—including Phillipians 4:8 as recently shared by our beloved Pastor Janice).

Jesus died so we could live with our main commandment to love, on which all the effectiveness of the rest of the gospel stands.

God’s amazing grace allows us to be, just the way we are, with the caveat that as soon as we step outside the line of love our Holy Spirit speaks to us and we have the grace to experience the healthy shame that returns us to humility, repentance, forgiveness, mercy, to then re-set our behavioral choices. Read that again and ask Jesus what He wants you to know about this, journal what He tells you. No matter what anyone tells you, it is quite simple to see if it lines up with God’s Word.

Each time I do a spirit inspired reset, I change the atmosphere around me, activating God’s DNA into the circumstance, which includes Kingdom currency: love, kindness, patience and much more.

Our world is overwhelmed in sandbox tantrums and hatred, yet a single act of the Living Spirit of Love changes everything.

Commit to a year of the choice to reset in obedience to God’s Word and then share your testimony. Don’t be discouraged when you fail, but in humility feel, forgive (yourself first), turn/repent, re-set, then repair in your situation.

An appropriate response to when you have failed to love is a genuine, deep sadness. An understanding that you failed before your father, before Jesus, who died for you. Still, Jesus sees you whole and complete all the days of your life. Your humble admission and acceptance of your failure to love allows Him to step in the gap beside you, which is His Promise.

When He is the author of your reset the repair is supernatural and begins the inner transformation of your soul. You are being re-wired by God into who He intended you to be. And, the other person’s Godly DNA is activated.

FYI: After the last few daunting years I found myself often feeling like nothing I do matters. At times I just wanted to duck my head and let the crap fly overhead, not wanting to be present at all. And, due to my physical vulnerability (I have had covid 3 times, most recently lost December to RSV) I have chosen to continue to mask while keeping my shots updated. That has invited a significant amount of rejection. I have lost some key people from my community, much to my sadness.

Yet, a powerful blessing I gained through these last few years is a realization I love my life with Jesus, so I renewed my commitment to live as long as possible. Due to life’s surprises that can include catastrophic suffering, I have people I love whose needs supersedes mine. As I release my cares to God he rearranges my life, inspiring deeper rhythms of joy, full of the power that comes with love.

More to come in this New Year, 2023.

Snowy ER Hallelujah

My best gift of Christmas was
four hours in the
ER on the
snowy night of
Dec 27th .

Around 4 pm, in my office, catching up on correspondence, I leaned too far over the edge of my office chair and got dumped onto my tail bone and left hip socket on the hardwood floor. When I tried to move agonizing pain ran through my hips. I called out for Noel and minutes crawled by as we painfully evaluated my condition whilst on the phone with emergency professionals. We determined the best choice was to get me into Noel’s Jeep, as he knew he could get me through the snow to urgent care (which turned out to be closed), then on to the Capital Medical Center ER. 

Transported in a hospital wheelchair I made it through the intake interview, then to the waiting room with enough space to keep a safe, but masked, distance between myself and the others. As I was able to control my shock through breathing techniques I began to realize the others were homeless and/or mentally ill. Even in my painful confusion I could feel my implicit prejudices rise towards these people carrying all they owned.

Their face masks askew, as were their layers of dirty clothing, non-sensical mutterings directed to no one. 

Instead of feeling threatened, I felt I belonged with them. Gathered in this cold ER, we were all in an emergency state. Our needs were different, but all of us were in pain.
My heart felt broken, as I often feel when considering the homeless, mentally ill, and the poor. Our country’s disgraceful and often contemptuous beliefs and treatments of the most vulnerable causes me deep pain.  But, in an instant, as I gazed at each one His prayers filled my heart and mind. He helped me REMEMBER that God loves us all the same, we are his treasures, each and every one. 

I witnessed and heard caring and compassionate exchanges between the staff and each person. Arrangements were made for their housing, including a ride to the location. It was right that I was one of the last to leave the ER that night, as I was the last to arrive earlier in the evening. God provided for these lost, broken people and for the staff who obviously had hearts full of the honoring of what it is to be lovingly human, regardless of their religious or political views. For that night they were in wam, relatively safe places.

I praise God that he keeps the least on my heart and in my prayers. I am grateful he has blessed us so that a portion of our funds goes to those who care for and serve these precious ones. The more generous I am, the more He cares for me, primarily in spirit, peace, joy, and satisfaction. 

The age and time has come that my desires of fleshly pleasures have fallen away and the actions of prayer, praise, love, and service have become the most satisfying expressions and actions of who I am. 

There is more to do, way more . . . there are groups of people, communities across our country who are working for solutions, such as the Partnership For Zero: https://www.realchangenews.org/news/2022/02/23/new-area-model-homelessness-services-funded-partnership-government-business-interests

As I prayed in the ER, He reminded me of this song. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8AWFf7EAc4

Stars line up . . .

The stars line up, ducks in their row, Holy Spirit active, dreams in view, prophecy in motion, sparking feelings of ecstasy, excitement, anticipation . . . and then, sometimes in slow motion, tipping begins. Mine currently feels like I am in a fun house, a room that seems ordinary, grounded, but now is slowly turning upside down. Everything begins to slide, tip, go off grade, odd angles becoming real . . . I am verklempt (a fav from a character by Mike Meyers-google it).

How is it possible that I can be in deep appreciation of the wonder of what God is doing, has done, and in a short time feel complete despair, with thoughts that I am completely wrong, am I insane ? [Deep breath] Ahhhh, I stop, get my coffee, sit down with Jesus and ask, "What do you want me to know about this, Lord."  

I kinda feel his mirth, don't hear it, but feel it, reverberating through history. A nod to when David took down Goliath; Moses touched the water with his staff and it turned to blood; dry bones rose up in life; Jesus was born to Mary; appearing to various people after he rose from the grave, and more. 

Jesus reminds me, with that enigmatic smile that though He has trained me, coached me for such a time as this, I am still human and much of heaven is beyond my comprehension even when moving deeper into it. Of course, I feel this disparity, it is Einstein's theory about an equal apposing reaction, the laws I live in and bound by while living in this world, yet . . .

What's going on with me is the main reason I believe in God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. This verklempt experience is unique to when I have catalytic moments where my supernaturally designed DNA lights off from encounters with God followed by grounding in this world. It is the juice that grows my identity that is defined by HIM, God. The Great I AM. 

Jesus reminds me who I am and to whom I belong, while it's OK to feel overwhelmed by the breadth of goodness in which I have been worshipping for a week. I know all about being overwhelmed, whether by hurt or happiness, and how to return to joy from the overwhelm. It's helpful to have a deep, personal relationship with Jesus who always, guides me back to peace, joy, while comforting me. 

Ah, just writing about it while talking to Jesus is rich. I am back into His fullness. He takes me flying through time, to various panoramas where He showed me His Big Picture, followed by instructions how to intercede; another moment years later where His picture was being fulfilled; songs He gave me to sing, with only part of the words until years later when He gave me another verse, now fulfilled. All the while He was training me, growing maturity, raising my capacities on all levels as only God can. 

"You are ready," He says. God's confidence is so all encompassing, so vast and complete my reverential fear/honoring confesses I needed His touch to be able to grasp even a scintilla of the breadth of Truth He Speaks. Again, I feel His mirth, this time I am synchronized in it with Him.     

I know and embrace that He is the Finisher of my Faith, He is my Mighty Counselor/Coach who has ALL the knowledge, Wisdom, and Power. I am His Daughter, who continues to learn how to make more room for Him. I am with Him and it's the speed at which I turn to Him that brings Heaven to Earth, expands the Glory that includes ALL, while activating the Love that covers ALL. 

The Stars Line Up . . . 

Love & Present Tension

Once again I am surprised by the rush of time, it's been over a year since my last post! I am glad to report that the rush of time has changed and though time flies, there is a flow of joy throughout, even when I experience hurt and heartbreak.

We are in another clear, sunny, and cold fall day in Olympia, WA. I am snuggled up by the fire, enjoying the last of the brilliant autumn tones, with most of the leaves now coloring the ground. For me, satisfaction reigns through the cool, rainy hours of our Washington winters. I layer up and enjoy the indoor time with a variety of projects from writing, to sewing, music, good company. In rain breaks I take long walk and prep our garden for next spring. My Washington winters are a rich and vital season sparked by creative conversations with Jesus in the midst of everything.

WORD: A few years ago the Lord told me we are entering into the last revival, that this one is from the inside out and will not end. More recently He reminded me of this word, then added: "You (believers) know The Law, it is time to learn how to LOVE. The Law will be fulfilled through LOVE." To make a point, during our worship time in The Church of Living Water, the Lord prompted a change in lyrics. During the song, Break Every Chain, when it comes to, "There is power in the name of Jesus." Jesus prompted, "There is power in the Love of Jesus . . ." I feel loved in one of my deepest places when Jesus speaks to me through music. That, though he took away my magnificent singing voice, he lets me know he honors my passion for music by connecting to me in worship. 

Over the years the most consistent way he has changed lyrics is to move into the present, rather than speaking in future tense. Example: many songs speak of "I will," such as, "I will love you; I will serve you; I will bow down," etc. He speaks into me, "I am, I love you, I serve you, I bow down," putting it into present tense. My commitment in life and in relationship with Jesus is to do it now, in this present tension. 

Just yesterday our Pastor, Jon Cobler, gave an exciting Sunday talk, speaking of Humility and Hustle as part of living in relationship with Jesus. It was an Aha! moment for me, giving me an energizing picture of what is like me to be, both humble and in the hustle of life and love. 

Urgency, which I now call hustle, is a redeemed part of me with roots in anxiety from being hypervigilant in my childhood as a result of growing up in disorganized attachment due to alcoholism and narcissism in my parents. I can tell when damaged roots are redeemed when they become tools/skills of "power in the love of Jesus." God transformed my hypervigilance into "seeing life and people with His eyes and understanding." 

As our Pastor pointed out in the same sermon, one cannot help but do good works when you have made room for God in you. By simply loving Him, his DNA catches fire in you. The more you stoke that fire by accepting his unconditional love for you, then chasing after everything he has for you, the bigger his fire grows and the more you become the fullness of who you are and were meant to be. Maturing in Spiritual Power is a right brain, unique process in every person.  It defies logic being far ahead of/faster than the capacity of our thinking/compartmentalizing left brain. 

In all ways His restoration gives life, grows maturity, and, when you carry his love in power it changes the atmosphere everywhere you go, in Love, now and always, even in this present tension.

Summation of Sequester

After several years of learning to live in a steady rhythm of joy & quiet, Noel & I were activated back into ministry at the start of February. God chose the groups & motivated us to attend, then to offer to share, which revealed he had prepared the way.

We are delighted to find ourselves brimming over with affection for people while more at ease in listening to, & moving with, the Holy Spirit.

Our sharing is about the generosity & wisdom of God as to how one can more actively, willingly co-labor with God in being transformed into one’s original design. In short: how to become the person God intended us to be.

 Onward!