not writing

there is a stirring in my spirit

aching, itching

a deep knowing

I am missing the one thing

I am meant to do

designed for, gifted

and chosen

I have been called

to proclaim

to create

to write

1 Corinthians 13 turns 

in my mind, twisted

if I have not words

I am nothing

 

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

 

Stop running

Am I a writer of poetry attempting long forms

or am I a writer of broken prose 

that tends toward poetic expression?

I am choosing to waste no time 

attempting to categorize myself 

as anything more than a pen in His hand.

I have run from the gifts He has given.

I have run into the gifts.

I have banged my head and stubbed my toes

and bear the scars and bruises.

At times I would prefer to paint

or dance

or sing

but He gives as He chooses

to suit His will.

I have run into the gifts

I have run from the gifts

fingers tender from the keyboard

too many pens rattling in my purse

He knows who He has called

what I cannot do, He can.

In that, I find my rest.

 

hooking up to Lisa-Jo talking about rest

 

Good gifts

If you, then, though you are evil, 

know how to give good gifts to your children, 

how much more will your Father in heaven 

give good gifts to those who ask him!  

Matthew 7:11 NIV

 

Giving Him all the glory at Deidra's

 

Divine exchange

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

 

Books for Christmas

I was blessed to be born into a family that loves to read.  Books were valued, cherished and are still given more often than any other gifts.

If you feel the same, here are a few outstanding new books that would be perfect to wrap up for your favourite people.  Don't forget to keep a copy of each for yourself too!

Glynn Young, a constant encourager of other writers has written his first novel Dancing Priest that I have not yet had the opportunity to read, yet I can recommend it, knowing the power of his words.  It is available here at amazon.com in both paperback and digital versions.  Visit Glynn at his blog Faith, Fiction and Friends or his novel page.

There is never a wrong time to give copies of Billy Coffey's novels.  His new book Paper Angels was released in November and should not be missed.  You can read more about this delightful novel at Billy's site.  While you're there, wander about and read his blog, I'm certain you'll be captivated.

And then there is the new book on writing by author and poet L. L. Barkat.  Rumors of Water: Thoughts on Creativity & Writing speaks into the heart and spirit of anyone who feels God's call to pick up a pen or lay hands on the keyboard.  You can find L. L. at her blog Seedlings in Stone or at The High Calling where's she is an editor or at Tweetspeak Poetry and T. S. Poetry Press

These should help you finish up your shopping, or perhaps cause you start all over again!

 

True gifts

There are packages under our Christmas tree that glitter beneath the lights.  These are small trinkets brightly wrapped in snowmen and angels and cheerful winter scenes.

But not everyone is facing a cheerful Christmas.  Some do not expect to have food to eat, or safe water to drink; some have never known what it is to feel healthy, many are dying.

That is why, again this year, as has become our habit, we did the majority of our shopping online.  No, not at Amazon.com or Sears or Ebay.  We selected gifts using the Compassion Catalog,  helping those in need as a way to honor our loved ones and our Lord.

Won't you take a few minutes to visit Compassion's Website; watch the videos, browse through the selection of gifts and give a gift this year that truly makes a Kingdom difference?  I believe it is what Jesus would have us do.
 

Rejoicing in the season

It is a time of baking, candy making, gift wrapping and ribbon tying.
Thinking of the One Who came.
Tree lights sparkle, reflect in glass angels, small nativity scenes, patridges, owls and doves.
Rejoicing in the One Who Is here.
I place my gift for Him beneath the tree, an emptiness for Him to fill.
Waiting for the One Who will come again.


 

Disconnecting

For a day or two I am pulling the plug, shutting out electronic noise. the click clack of the keyboard

The world will continue to spin, tweets will sing out even if I can't hear, status updates will scroll on though my screen will be black

I may or may not pick up a pen or choose to let my words be few as I listen instead

I will connect eye to eye, ear to ear, heart to heart, with my beloved and others the Lord has chosen

I will breathe deep, taking in each gift He offers, drinking more than my fill so that I may pour out again

As I run to His arms, know that I am in the safest of all places.

Christmas shopping for gifts that count

In the poem Memories of Redemption I wrote about shopping:

escalators jammed
with those sweating warm
in winter wools
ascending to
the higher floors
to secure the choicest gifts
and finding more
of nothing

I admit that I enjoy gifting those I love with trinkets that will please, encourage and delight them and our Christmas tree is surrounded with brightly wrapped packages waiting to be given.

But what do any of us really need, who live in the richest of nations?  So again this year, our most important shopping was done prayerfully at our computer keyboard as we honoured our loved ones by purchasing gifts in their names from Compassion's Gift Catalog. 

These are gifts that help make a difference in the lives of children living in some of the poorest communities of the world. These gifts help provide clean drinking water, medical treatment, disaster relief, food supplies and much, much more. Meet vital needs and bring real joy with a Gift of Compassion.

Gifts include mosquito nets, soccer balls, chickens, goats, water filters, farm equipment, clean water and more. Gift prices range from $10 to $5000.

Why not take a few moments now to check out the assortment of gifts here.

If you are interested in making a long term difference on the life of a child, please consider sponsorship.  For more information visit the Compassion website.

Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.  James 1:27 NLT

Christmas wish

This has been a year of wanting to learn what it means to surrender

To desire more of Him and less of me

To lay down my plans, offer my heart

To come as I am knowing His love will accept me, but also change me.

This has been a year of learning how much of my "self" still fights for life.

So for this Christmas I want less.

Less of who I think I am and more of Who He Is.

That I might loosen my grip on this alabaster jar even knowing it will fall,

shatter and empty, pouring out all that I am.

This year I think I will wrap a box

to place beneath the tree

as a gift to my Lord, an offering of a place emptied,

prepared, waiting to be filled.

My Christmas hope, a miraculous exchange

that would leave none of me

and all of Him.

Stop by Bonnie's Faith Barista to join in the Jam!

Tuesdays Unwrapped - Prayer

Today I am celebrating truths about prayer that my Father unwrapped for me this morning as I sat quietly with Him in my journaling time.

Thank you for covering your husband and friend as they worked on cutting trees - for you were praying almost without knowing, for that is how I made you.

Prayer need not be eloquent or comprised of many words - though I do enjoy the rhythms and pattern of your words when you allow My Spirit to grip you.

Prayer might be one word, no words, a hum, a breath, a tapping of fingers on the table. Prayer is a releasing, a surrender - a cry that you can't and I must. Prayer is a turning, turning from the world and fixing your eyes on Me.

My disciples asked "how then shall we pray" and I say unto you the very same - ask for the Kingdom and My will.

Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.” So He said to them, “When you pray, say: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Luke 11:1-2 NKJV

Emily's back from her month of grace, so stop by Chatting at the Sky and share the gifts you've been unwrapping.

Speak Lord - I'm listening

Years ago I received a precious gift from the Lord. I could be anywhere at all and suddenly hear the sound of chimes, a silvery flicker, a shimmering sound, just on the edge of my natural senses. After acknowledging the sound I would sense a word, a phrase, a message in my spirit. Once this had happened a few times I realized that I would hear the sound when the Lord had something to share with me.

Lord, You used to call me

with a ring

and I would answer

"here am I"

like picking up the telephone

or opening the door.

Did I grow too accustomed

or familiar?

Did I begin to rely on the gift

instead of the Giver?

Or was it simply time

to remove the easy access

the familiar gate

that had made me lazy?

You have not stopped speaking

but more often than not

You wait until I ask.

I hear you in the breeze

the beat of my heart

the scratching of a pen on crisp pages of my journal

the sky streaming golden at day's end
the warmth of a house shut tight against the wind

my husband's "I love you."

In the "yes, Yes, YES" that rises in my spirit

when I read Your love letter

written for me, for all of Your children

eternal promises.

I will seek. I will wait. I will listen still.

But speak Lord.

And the Lord came and stood and called as at other times, Samuel! Samuel! Then Samuel answered, Speak, Lord, for Your servant is listening 1 Samuel 3:10 Amplified

I'm double linking today at:

Stop by Bonnie's Faith Barista and see what others have to share about hearing the Lord.

visit Emily at In the Hush of the Moon for more words imperfect

Tuesdays Unwrapped - Relief

I feel as if I've been away. There seems to have been a distance between myself and my life. Physical pain can do that, having the unusual ability to numb the mind even as the body screams. Thoughts become clouded, fuzzy and gray.

When the seasons change, many with chronic pain experience flare ups. We take our ability to move so very much for granted, until injury or inflamation hinders us.

Today I did again the simplest things. I prepared a casserole for tonight's dinner. I stripped the linens from our bed, replacing them with others crisp and clean. I smoothed corners and fluffed pillows, filled with both thanksgiving and praise

Who would imagine such tasks could create such an abundance of joy? I breathe in the relief like fresh air, relishing the moment of reconnection between mind and flesh, unpacking the deep truth that through it all, my spirit had remained free to fly unimpaired.

I rejoice in the promise we have been given by the One Who holds true to His Word:

And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away Revelation 21:4 NKJV

What gift are you unwrapping today? Stop by Emily's Chatting at the Sky and share.

Tuesdays Unwrapped - On the water

My husband Rick and I were blessed to partake of an overnight away with friends at their cottage on a lake about 1-1/2 hours from home.

We enjoyed food, fellowship and time cruising in their speedboat.

In the majesty of all He has created for us to enjoy I knew I would find many moments to cherish.

Journaling this morning, this is what my Lord shared:

Keep hold of peace.

Keep hold of Me.

I let you ride on smooth and choppy waters - but I never let you out of My sight or care. I never let you go. I Am in the waves.

Just as you laughed like a little child at the fun of the speed and turning, so too do I ask you to laugh in the midst of storms - know that I Am with you - even when you cannot see Me.

How can you know? Simply because I have promised - and I Am not a man that I should lie. I Am faithful to My Word. What I have said, that shall I do.

God is not a man, that He should tell or act a lie, neither the son of man, that He should feel repentance or compunction [for what He has promised]. Has He said and shall He not do it? Or has He spoken and shall He not make it good? Numbers 23:19 Amplified

Come vist Emily at Chatting at the Sky and share the special moments that you've unwrapped.

Savouring His glory

I grasp the moments when I can

drink them in

like tasting wine

swish them around in my mouth

to savour hints of sweet, bitter, rich.

Seems like yesterday was Christmas

snow drifts, brittle cold

and tomorrow will be yet again.

But now...

Now in the mosquitos buzz

I allow the warmth of His sun

to invade my bones

as if it could be stored

for future use

my eyes absorbing

every lick of colour

to flash back against the starkest grays

of winter.

May my voice

join the chorus of the birds

in praise to the One

Who bestows these moments,

these gifts, priceless

for His pleasure.

You own the day, you own the night; you put stars and sun in place. You laid out the four corners of earth, shaped the seasons of summer and winter.

Psalm 74:16-17 The Message

Today I am linking my words of praise to Bridget Chumbley's One Word at a Time Carnival

and Emily at Chatting at the Sky's Tuesdays Unwrapped

Tuesdays Unwrapped - Hummingbirds

I cherish the ways that the Lord chooses to speak.  As I picked up my journal this morning I noticed the activity of the hummingbirds at the feeder we have hung outside the livingroom window.  Here's the journaling session that followed:

Another morning, another day, another chance to choose whether I will stumble about blindly in the dark or seek Your wisdom and revelation.

Yes, little one, I do allow you freedom in your choices.  My wish is to Be your desire - that you come to Me without force.  I will not manipulate, even when I can see you wasting time, energy and emotion following your own ways. 

I watch and I wait.  Sometimes I chuckle and shake My head - in the same fashion as you do when you watch the hummingbirds that come to drink the nectar you provide for them.  You laugh to see them using great quantities of energy, wings in constant motion, hovering, that they might drink.  And you know there is a perch that they might rest upon where they could stop their flapping and drink with ease.  But you can't tell them or show them, they must find it on their own. 

So too is it with the resting place I have for you in Me.  I cannot take you there, you must find it for yourself.  Yes, others may speak of it, teach of it, pray that the way is made clear, but each one must find it on their own, in their own time and manner.

You sing songs about preparing a resting place for Me - but never forget that that I Am the resting place for My people.

Pray, little one, for I have chosen you.  Pray that more will choose the way to My heart.  Yes, speak of Me.  Yes, teach of Me.  But pray, for I have made you righteous in My sight, and your fervant prayer accomplishes much more than you know.

The prayer of a person living right with God is something powerful to be reckoned with James 5:16b The Message

Do not forget the tenderness you feel for these tiny birds - such is My heart for you.  I provide you nourishment, shelter, rest and peace.  I Am the God of plenty, the God of more than enough.  But just like the birds, you so often fly off when others are near, letting your peace scatter.

Be still - be still and know.

Let be and be still, and know (recognize and understand) that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations! I will be exalted in the earth!  Psalm 46:10 Amplified

There are great joys to be found in every moment.  Come share at Emily's Chatting at the Sky the gift you've unwrapped today.

Tuesdays Unwrapped - He Is

As I was thanking and praising the Lord with my journal in hand this morning, He poured out the following word.  Truly a gift meant for me to share.

And if the rains come?  Are you ready to continue to walk in faith?  Are you ready to believe Me on behalf of others - for the farmers you pray for and listen for?  Continue, child, to speak My words - over the harvest and over their hearts.

The enemy enjoys sitting back, watching you draw conclusions based on what you see in the natural - it takes little effort on his part then to drive you to despair. All he needs to do is distract your vision, turn your eyes from Me.  Stand fast and firm, little one, with your eyes and your heart fixed, yes, fixed on Me.

And I will move mountains or give you strength to climb them.

I will part the seas or give you power to swim.

I, Who can make water flow from a rock can bring forth a harvest from a desert or a swamp.

I may not deliver you from your circumstance but deliver you in that circumstance.  I may not remove obstacles but instead choose to give you victory over them.

Will you this day, allow Me to choose the manner in which I will provide My miracles?  For truly I tell you, every miracle is Mine, to glorify My name.

Do not pray for your miracle, watch for Mine.
And I will Be your Deliverer.
And I will Be your Healer.
And I will Be your Peace.
Come running to Me in the bright sunshine.
Come running to Me in the rain.
Sing as the birds sing, simply because I Am.

What are you unwrapping today?  Come share your gifts at Emily's Chatting at the Sky