storms in the mix

BEND

was the word I heard 

as 2015 dawned

I should perhaps 

have received it

as a warning

for the year would bring

fierce emotional storms

that tossed me about

tested and strained me

till I was certain

I would snap

but the God who creates the storms

also calms them

and there is always

a new season waiting

on the other side of the clouds

We've been surrounded and battered by troubles, but we’re not demoralized; 

we’re not sure what to do, but we know that God knows what to do;

 we've been spiritually terrorized, but God hasn't left our side; 

we've been thrown down, but we haven’t broken. 

2 Corinthians 4:8-9 The Message

my word for 2016

has not yet been revealed

when I know

I'll share

Christmas Word

This word from our Lord - first given to me in 2011 still rings true in my spirit today.

In the quiet, in the waiting, I have been listening for what the Lord would share:

Even as a tiny baby I Was and Am big enough

to hold and carry all that concerns you.

This then is the magic of Christmas.

Your worry for My peace.

Your grief for My joy.

Your bondage for My freedom.

Your wrong for My right.

In all the unwrapping of gifts,

do not forget this divine exchange.

Now thanks be to God for His Gift, [precious] beyond telling 

[His indescribable, inexpressible, free Gift]! 

 2 Corinthians 9:15 Amplified

 

morning drive

the traffic jams we fight

each time we drive to town

have let us weary

yesterday, with intention

we turned the opposite direction

heading off on our first adventure

solo on African soil

after reaching our desired destination

an organic farm and butchery

and filling our cooler with fresh cut

unbelievably priced meats

we continued further

scanning the roadside for the furniture stalls

we had been told about

a road sign caught my eye

a high end hotel/safari lodge

we turned to discover it was a three kilometre drive

down a bumpy road

we were free and unscheduled

and needed a bathroom break

so we continued on

a friendly gate guard welcomed us

we explained we wanted to inquire

about a future holiday visit

"sure sure Mama" he smiled

"of course you are welcome Bwana"

he waved us through 

where another sign informed us

we had yet another four kilometres to travel

ruts and ridges and dust

but all worth it

once we stepped out into His glory

the hotel was beautiful, luxurious and steeply priced

far beyond our budget

but we were able to wander the grounds

to spy antelopes and monkeys

stretching car stiff legs

the road back to the highway

stretched dry before us

and as always

the return trip seemed shorter

we didn't care

that we hadn't found the furniture man

that will be a reason

for another drive

another day

 

inside out

we have shifted

to another new home

in Zambia, here

a view from our dining room

to the enclosed veranda

where we are bringing the inside out

or the outside in

which seems only fitting

for our life these days

driving on the wrong side of the road

summer steaming rain instead snow

dawn rising when back home friends ready for sleep

just a shadow of the Kingdom

where last will be first

giving to gain, dying to live

ever a bit of a bumpy ride

but eyes fixed on Him

Not that I have already obtained it [this goal of being Christlike] or have already been made perfect, but I actively press on [a]so that I may take hold of that [perfection] for which Christ Jesus took hold of me and made me His own. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider that I have made it my own yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the [heavenly] prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:12-14 Amplified