Creation Sensation

2010-10-14T15:08:00.000-07:00

The Bible says, "for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God" and "for the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord".

It also says, "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved".

That "whosoever" is you! If you call on the name of the Lord Jesus, you shall be saved...if you truly desire to have a changed heart and if you truly desire to have your sins washed away!

I'm going to say a prayer, and then you might want to read this out loud.

Lord, I ask You to bless (FILL IN YOUR NAME) and his/her family with long and healthy lives. Jesus, make Yourself real to him/her and do a quick work in his /her heart.

If this precious one has not received Jesus Christ as his /her Lord and Savior, I pray he/she will do so now.

If you would like to receive the gift that God has for you today, say this after me with your heart and aloud with your lips. "Dear Lord Jesus, come into my heart! Forgive me of my sin. Wash me and cleanse me. Set me free. Jesus! Thank You that You died for me. I believe that You are risen from the dead, and that You’re coming back again for me. Fill me with the Holy Spirit. Give me a passion for the lost, a hunger for the things of God and a holy boldness to 'preach' the good news of Jesus Christ." Now, declare this aloud and tell someone else, too: "I’m saved; I’m born again, I’m forgiven and I’m on my way to Heaven because I have Jesus in my heart. "

So, now you ARE forgiven! Your sins are in the past, washed by the blood that Jesus shed on the cross. God has forgiven you, and your heart is sparkling clean! Remember to read the Bible, find a good Bible-believing church, and talk to the Lord every day!''

Let me pray this prayer over you! Dear Lord, I believe that this beloved child of yours is now clean and fresh and forgiven. Fill them with Your Holy Spirit. I pray for Your protection and mercy and grace and love to surround this newborn babe in Christ. Help them to do all You ask, to be willing and to be quick to obey You. And, dear Lord, please send blessings on them and their loved ones. If they are alone, find them Godly friends, and keep them close to You forever! In Jesus' Name. Amen!

Wall Prayer

2010-10-14T14:22:00.000-07:00

USE YOUR GIFTS

2009-09-14T11:00:00.000-07:00

God's nature is to give us gifts! His nature is generous and as a heavenly Father, he loves to bless His children with gifts.

Some of the types of gifts He gives are in the area of talents. He gives us the ability and skill and innate, inherent talent to draw or paint or sculpt or mold pots or make intricate designs in gold and other metals or design objects, even buildings, or in music, to write stories, books, novels, plays, poems; in music - to play, to sing, to compose, direct; or with growing plants, carving wood, sewing and weaving fabrics, basket making and using other materials or through innumerable crafts; to cook; to invent; and by so many other talents, too numerous to mention here. Perhaps you are not a doer, as much as you are a teacher or the means to an end for those with talent. So much the better, because you use your skills to spread the talents of others!

My point here is that if you do not use what God has given, you will lose it. That's a proven fact. It's like an athlete when he stops using his muscles. His muscles grow soft and listless and sometimes useless. They need working and using in order to stay agile and strong.

It is the same with our giftings. We must use them and practice them to see them develop and grow and be used to make a difference in this world. Some gifts will make an eternal difference - something we will never know unless we put these gifts to use daily.

I urge you to use your gifts. And should you be a latent user...desiring to play the piano, but as yet not taking that step, do so now! Get a keyboard, take some lessons, step out on faith and see if this is a gifting within you! Follow your desires. And if you are like one of my family who says he has no talent, ask the Lord to show you. He found several areas of talent he didn't know were in him.

King David was a Psalmist who could sing and play the lyre (a type of harp or guitar); Solomon was a poet; Paul was a writer; Jesus was a worker of wood. There are many more Biblical examples.

So use your talent for your Lord; for His glory; for His Kingdom! Use what you have to bless the rest of us!

THE IMAGE MAKER

2009-09-03T14:31:00.000-07:00

The Image Maker - a book I wrote describing the supernatural power of my Lord.
Unlike the bitterness of man,
God lovingly propels the porous paint of love
He lavishes on us tones and shapes
To change our hearts,
That we would be like our Lord.
That we would be in one accord.

The colors of His palette are as awesome as a sunrise over water
or a field of fresh flowers after rain.
He floods our souls with liquid,
Bright and brisk as luminous sunrays
Splash golden glow and white
On the mural of our dear Lord's bride.

God fills the shallow places with honey-colored love so thick
It oozes from our canvases,
Slowly seeping onto others,
Intensifying their lives with devotion
With warmth and fervor and raw emotion..

The Painter of the Universe splashes pigments in our lives
As though He were forever
The Artisan of Fervor -
The Creator of all Color!
He waves His magnificent hand.
In air He carves a sculptor's groove
As rainbows follow this skillful move.

With ardent zeal, He moves His great brush through the entire earth,
Colors responding in riotous rhythm:
Reds of living passion.
Oranges of vim and vigor,
Yellows of eager enthusiasm,
Greens of brilliant hope,
Blues of tranquil peace,
Purples of royal victories.

The Image Maker is yet Creator
Extraordinaire, continually working
On His greatest masterpiece!
That canvas/man of you and me.

GOD-INSPIRED CRAFTSMEN

2009-08-24T10:50:00.000-07:00

These are just a few of the people in the Bible who were given great creative skills, but notice what the Lord tole Moses. He filled him with the Holy Spirit, which in turn gave him wisdom and intelligence and skill.

Exodus 31:1-6 The Lord also said to Moses, "Look, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, grandson of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. I have filled him with the Spirit of God, giving him great wisdom, intelligence, and skill in all kinds of crafts. He is able to create beautiful objects from gold, silver, and bronze. He is skilled in cutting and setting gemstones and in carving wood. Yes, he is a master at every craft! "And I have appointed Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, to be his assistant. Moreover, I have given special skill to all the naturally talented craftsmen so they can make all the things I have instructed you to make..

2Chronicles 2:14 the son of a woman from Dan in Israel; his father is from Tyre. He is skillful at making things from gold, silver, bronze, and iron. He also knows all about stonework, carpentry, and weaving. He is an expert in dyeing purple, blue, and scarlet cloth and in working with linen. He is also an engraver and can follow any design given to him. He will work with your craftsmen and those appointed by my lord David, your father.

1Samuel 16:18 One of the servants said to Saul, "The son of Jesse (David) is a talented harp player. Not only that; he is brave and strong and has good judgment. He is also a fine-looking young man, and the LORD is with him."

HOBBY LOBBY AND MICHAELS

2009-08-19T09:41:00.000-07:00

Hobby Lobby and Michaels are two of my favorite browsing places, and are where I shop for art and craft supplies. I like Michaels because it was the first such business I explored (and because they employed our daughter to create floral arrangements for them). But I like Hobby Lobby not only because it has neat stuff, but also because it is founded on Christian principles by a Christian to give glory to Christ!

The late David Green, founder of Hobby Lobby, wanted a business that would bring honor to his Lord. After over a decade in the retail business, he opened Greco Products in 1972, a very small picture frame business in a small home in Oklahoma City, Ok. with 300 square feet of retail space. From that, he initiated Hobby Lobby, an international business that has over 430 stores in 34 states. Moreover, his son, Mart Green, opened his own chain, the Mardel Christian Book Stores, when he was just 19. There are also seven other affiliate businesses under Hobby Lobby including Hemispheres and Crafts, Etc.

Perhaps you will create something beautiful. Perhaps you will create a company that will supply those who create things beautiful. You just have no idea what creativity , what genius, what ingenuity, what marvelous ideas are waiting to be launched through YOU! So, focus on it. Think on it. Research it. Search scriptures; pray; get with others who are interested or who will encourage you; enroll in some classes. Do something to get you on your road to using those creative gifts God has placed within you!

SCRIPTURES TO BLESS YOU!

2009-08-19T06:19:00.000-07:00

Joshua 1:8 - Amplified Bible
This Book of the Law shall not depart out of your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, that you may observe and do according to all that is written in it. For then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall deal wisely and have good success.

Luke 18:1 - Amplified Bible
ALSO [Jesus] told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not to turn coward (faint, lose heart, and give up).

Hebrews 4:14 - Amplified Bible
Inasmuch then as we have a great High Priest Who has [already] ascended and passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession [of faith in Him].

Ephesians 1:3-6 - New Living Translation
3How we praise God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we belong to Christ. 4Long ago, even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.
5His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. And this gave him great pleasure.
6So we praise God for the wonderful kindness he has poured out on us because we belong to his dearly loved Son.

Psalm 103:2-3 - Amplified Bible
Bless the Lord, o my soul, Who forgives [every one of] all your iniquities, Who heals [each one of] all your diseases...

John 10:10 - Amplified Bible
The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows).

DO YOU KNOW FOR CERTAIN YOU ARE SAVED?

2009-08-18T19:00:00.000-07:00

Rom 10:8-13
But what does it say? "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart" (that is, the word of faith which we preach):
that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
For the Scripture says, "Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame."
For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him.
For "whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved."

Do you know for certain if you are saved and going to heaven? Do you want to know? There is only one way and that's by receiving Jesus Christ into your heart. You may believe that He is the Son of God. You may believe that He died for you and was resurrected. But have you asked Him personally to forgive you and come into your heart?

If not, then pray this prayer.

Dear Heavenly Father, I come to Your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, and I ask You to forgive my sins, and Jesus, I want You to come into my heart and live there always. I repent. I ask You to save me, deliver me from evil and the works of the devil. Fill me with Your Spirit. Thank You, Jesus! I receive You as my Lord and Savior!

Congratulations! If you meant this prayer, you are now saved and you WILL go to heaven. God's angels will be around to help you.

Moreover, the Lord will help you if you will just have faith in Him. Read the Bible. Talk to the Lord. Expect Him to be with you every moment! Ask the Holy Spirit to help you find a good Bible-believing church so you can worship God with other Christians. Enjoy your walk with God!

OUR IMAGES

2009-08-18T18:51:00.000-07:00

Deep inside the heart of us.
Lives the image of the Creator.
Creativity dreaming to be loosed,
Longing to be at liberty
To concoct something different.
New images.
Fresh forms to portray, describe, depict
Images.
Expressions of seeking souls to be unveiled
In pen and paint, type and fabric,
In stone, metal, hype and plastic.
Duplicating our Creator’s creation
Ever-inquiring, ever-inquisitive,
Our hearts desire, our minds create
His images.
Our hands produce, our machines construct
Images.
We have increasing capacity to invent,
To inspire a new entity, novel and unique,
Never done, never before a part of us.
We devise because we are increasingly curious.
We elaborate our ear-tickling tales of
Astounding adjectives or violent verbs.
Of ringing rhymes or pleasant prose,
Accurate, admirable accounts,
Fabricating far-fetched fiction.
We have collaborated
Images.
Eye-pleasing canvases
Washed with clarion colors or pale pastels.
Muted murals and proud portraits.
Soothing and satisfying,
Stained slates of illustration.
We have fabricated
Images.
Skin-stirring sensations,
Carefully carved or meticulously molded.
Welded wonders; touchable textiles.
Startling statues and bold bastions of bas-relief.
　
　
The image of the Creator.
That sixth sense ability
Of talent deep inside yearning to be loosed
Hoping to be unleashed to form original works;
To frame and cast, compose and shape
Red-hot, radical and revolutionary
Imprints on humanity.
These images.
From author, inventor, sculptor, engineer
From weaver, painter, poet, pioneer.
Duplicating our Creator’s creation.
Contriving composites and divine designs
To formulate, manipulate and stimulate
Our images.
　
　

A WORD CONCERNING PRAYER

2009-08-07T12:23:00.000-07:00

When I was in prayer recently, I felt this is what the Lord was speaking to me and to all of us who pray. So, read it and take heart! God wants to answer our prayers!

My Child:
I have heard your prayers. Only begin to thank Me and praise Me. Only begin to declare that it is done! Only begin to call those things that have not been as though they already are! Then, also, see it! Not just by imagination, but by appropriation! You appropriate the things you need from the spiritual realm into the earthly realm. That IS how it works. There are times when you accidentally connect with the spirit realm and it works for you. But, this time, be deliberate. This time, deliberately appropriate the things you have asked for. For it is by faith.
You have asked for and have declared that you have My kind of faith...the God kind of faith. And I have declared that indeed you do have My kind of faith. Therefore, appropriate the very things you have asked for by that God-faith! In the same way, now access the answers you have asked of Me. Access them and bring them forth into your dimension by way of the cross of Jesus, by way of His shed blood, for there is great power in your appropriation of His blood. Access it and begin to see the change in all those people you pray for, in all those things you pray for, in all those places you pray for. You WILL see! Then, stand, believing - until you see your answer come!
Also, access My anointing by faith. Today, I give you the anointing for this very task. Even now, you know and begin to see in the spirit that I, your Lord Jesus, am cupping My hands and filling them with My oil and pouring them over your head. I am drenching you in My anointing to access this realm of My prayer dimension.
Like any anointing or gift, it increases with the doing of it. It increases with "practice". Begin practicing this anointing with smaller desires, and you will see it grow.
For My desire is for you to walk by faith. It pleases Me! When your prayers match up with My promises, you will come to know that I want your prayers answered even more than you do! So, pray, child, believing that you receive when you pray to Me, and you shall have what you pray! (Mark 11:23-25)

TAKE TIME TO 'DISCOVER' YOURSELF!

2009-07-22T06:58:00.000-07:00

There are at least two things we neglect: time with God and time to ourselves - and the only cure is to TAKE the time whenever you find a few moments.

When you take time for yourself, here are a few ways to help draw the creativity in you to the forefront.

Take a half hour a week and explore art galleries, museums, art shows, craft fairs, and other showings where various artists display their individual talents; attend musicals, concerts, plays, readings and other oral presentations. Tour gardens and beautiful buildings. And ask yourself, where is my attention the greatest? What pulls me? Which talent would I personally like to have?

Visit shops that specifically cater to the musical arts: music stores where musical instruments are sold; or where cds, dvds, downloads and sheet music are sold.

Frequent places that accommodate painters, sculptors, craftsmen in wood and glass, or the sewing crafts. Handle some of the materials. Again, ask yourself if you would like to use any of these. Do paintbrushes or charcoal interest you? Do fabrics intrigue you? Does carving attract you? Would you like to pursue stained glass projects or metal-working?

But you need further investigation to inspire your own originality. You will never truly know where your gifting lies until you TRY something! You need not spend a lot of money to discover what you want to do. One knife and one piece of wood can launch your carving. One paintbrush, a few colors - or a drawing pencil and a few pieces of paper can propel that creativity that lives within your soul.

If you long to sew, begin with a small square piece of fabric, a needle and thread. Embroider a small flower, hem the square, gather the side opposite the flower by tying a piece of thread on a safety pin and working it through that side of the hem. Was this pleasure or drudgery? Do you want to do it again, or improve upon it? Can you gain access to a sewing machine? Get someone to show you the basics, then make your first project a small pair of curtains. Did this project make you want to tackle something more difficult?

Some of this pursuit is just common sense. If you desire to weld sculptures, then you must learn to weld. So, you find such a welder and request that you can spend time watching him work.

Perhaps you live in a community with a local drama company. Learn where and when the next try-outs will be held and determine to be there. Even if you don't try out the first time, you will gain insight and information - and you will know if it peaks your curiosity and draws your interest.

Many communities have local colleges offering a variety of summer classes to anyone interested. Such classes include basic computer, computer graphics, commercial art, painting classes, drafting. Some offer specific crafts. Sign up for one!

Do you want to sing? Then download some songs you love and sing them every day! Go back to your elementary school days and sing do re mi scales. Do you long to dance? Then rent or purchase a few videos of the kind of dance you want to pursue, and dance at home by yourself, until you know you are ready to sign up for classes.

Let your imagination work in your behalf. Get pencil and paper and take 10 minutes by yourself in a quiet place. Close your eyes for a moment (don't catnap, though!) and force yourself to think on something creative. Imagine yourself writing poetry; imagine yourself sculpting with clay; imagine yourself making jewelry, etc., etc. Then write down what you envision. Is there one area that sparks that inner attraction? I would like to know how to sculpt - even tried it once - but now I know that sculpting doesn't call to me, doesn't interest me as painting does. Once you know where your imagination focuses, you will have a better sense of where your talent lies.

Think on these words: write them down; meditate on them; pursue them. You have some or all of these attributes. They are deep within your own persona:
originality
imagination
inspiration
ingenuity
individuality
creativeness
vision
expressiveness
eloquence
clarity
contribution
determination
grit
gift
talent
inventiveness
resourcefulness

Allow the creator to come forth in YOU!

CREATIVITY POSSIBILITY

2009-07-17T08:37:00.000-07:00

Okay, you want to create, but you don't know where to begin.

Reflect a minute on what draws your attention. If you are at a fair with 100 exhibitions, what would draw your glance? Would it be a booth demonstrating wood-carving, photography, glass-blowing, ceramics, painting on a canvas, mosaics, sculpture, sewing, crafts, books of fiction or poetry, short films and videos, dancing? Which would grab your attention?

Let's say you are drawn to photography, 'cause this is an easy one! Use your day off to pursue this venture. If you don't have a camera, borrow or rent one for a day. Make sure you know how to zoom out, but also how to take micro-closeups. Most of today's digital cameras will perform these tasks.

When you look at other photos, what peaks your interest? People? Places? Flowers? Close-ups? Black and white pictures? Whatever interests you will draw out your talent and eventually, will interest others!

Let's say your interest topic is fences, and you prefer them in black and white. Drive out in the country or in an older neighborhood where there are still a variety of fence types. Take several shots of each fence. One shot can be head-on. Walk close to the fence and take one shot down the row. Take a close-up of one post and another of the cross-piece. Photograph what's on the ground by a post...and while you're down there, look up and take one shot from the ground to the top of the fence. Photograph a child sitting on a rail or standing by a post.

And don't forget the gates! Take pictures with the gate opened and one with it closed. Perhaps a close-up of the lock or handle.

Cause your pictures to be like a work of art: meaningful and full of life, full of ingenuity!

Cull out the bad ones at the photoshop and enlarge and enhance the best ones! Make sure you get copies in color and black and white. Mat the enlargements and frame - or place in a new album, purchased just for your new artistic hobby!

Voilla! You have become an amateur photographer!!!

CREATED TO CREATE!

2009-07-17T07:18:00.000-07:00

I was mainly made to make,
To generously generate
A bright new generation of creation!

I am stirred within to stir again
Skills and fires and new desires,
To spark velocity and curiosity!

I am qualified to quantify,
To modify, to edify
Fresh speculation and exploration!

I am designed and destined:
Created to create
An entire destiny of creativity!

Visit My Other Web-Pages, Too!

2009-07-13T12:59:00.000-07:00

Visit me on Twitter and Squidoo. Another of my websites will be published this week, and I'll post it then.

Meanwhile, here are some of my Squidoo pages:

This one is called GV Gems and has an array of wisdom, encouragement and some helpful tips and hints.
http://www.squidoo.com/Encouragement-and-Happiness
This page is especially for anyone who wants to sell on eBay, but thinks it might be too complicated. I think I made it easier!
http://www.squidoo.com/sell-on-ebay-today
These are stories of our own peculiar animals, with a bit of a twist to assure you and give you hope.
http://www.squidoo.com/Cute-True-Animal-Tales
And a page of some of my poems and other poems I relish.
http://www.squidoo.com/happy-poems

DO YOU HAVE HIDDEN CREATIVITY?

2009-07-13T06:25:00.000-07:00

It is my firm belief that everyone has creativity built into their individual DNA. Deep within each person, God has placed talents and skills and giftings. Some are not developed until the person is much older, but nonetheless, the ability is there.

My husband has always called me "the writer"...and had believed that he had no writing talent. Yet I challenged him recently to write for one of my blogs...and the stories he wrote are wonderful, and we discovered his story-telling skills are remarkable!

One of our daughters is an art teacher. Creativity runs in our family. I have always relished painting and sculpture, and have urged her and my children and grandchildren to paint, to draw, to create - to 'try' their talents. However, she had said she didn't care to paint - and didn't try it until recently. Suddenly, she LOVES to paint! She is painting non-stop and now teaches painting in workshops! Our other daughter is very talented in other areas, but just 'knew' she couldn't paint. However, she and I attended one of her sister's art workshops - and voilla! She created a wonderful painting! (She even hung it on a bedroom wall!)

Our oldest son is wonderful with his hands. He can build so many things! He has built furniture, deck, redwood pergola, laid tile, built cabinets and whole rooms and has remodeled an entire house. He had no idea he could do all of this! He just began with smaller projects and worked his way upwards! These days you can truly call him a skilled craftsman.

Each of our other two sons have taken on building projects and 'diy' rennovations that are amazing. More lately, our oldest grandson and his wife have built cedar furniture, even cutting the timber, stripping and milling it!

How will you know but what you have talent if you never try? And don't say, "Oh, I tried it in school" - or "Well, I dabbled with that, and I know I'm not good at it." Have you really and truly tried? Have you given it your best shot? You CAN do something, so try, try again - and don't delay! Try it today!

It won't hurt anyone or anything to try again! Try your hand at drawing, painting, sculpting, writing or writing poetry, playing an instrument, singing, dancing, crafting, carving, building, etc. (To borrow a cliche', if you do it, it will come!) I believe the gifting will come forth with the doing of it! And there are SO many diverse outlets of creativity! You may be a latent architect or cartoonist! Your skills may be in drama or humor or inventions.

How will you know if you never try?

One of the reasons people never try is a fear of failure, or a false belief they have no talent. My husband always believed he could not sing. So he did not sing! Only recently has he believed that God loves our singing, no matter how well we carry a tune. But, miracle of miracles, he can now sing! And the more he sings, the better he gets!

All I can do is urge you to try. Don't listen to the nay-sayers. Someone else may have said you couldn't. An art teacher told me in the fifth grade I had no artistic talent whatsoever! She hated my art work and said so. It was many years later before I attempted it again, though I dearly loved art of every kind.

Remember, your creativity is not just for yourself. It is also for the Lord....and may be for other humans, too! A few years ago, the Lord told me to write a book of poetry. At that time, I had only written a few poems back in school - or for a silly birthday card.

But I obeyed. I found that after a few attempts, I drew from somewhere deep inside me a bit of gifting for it. And the more I wrote, the better I wrote. The same thing happened with composing songs.

One fellow created - after he retired at 65 - a webstite where children can make their own cartoons!

No matter what your age or circumstance, there are wonderful giftings placed within you from the beginning of time. The Lord planned for you to be complete, lacking nothing, lacking no good thing! You are sufficient in all things, thoroughly furnished and wonderfully equipped for every good work!

So, go for it! Be creative! Bring forth the beauty from God that is already within your soul! It will bless you and it will bless our Lord! Do it today!

Jesus Metamorphisis

2009-06-30T21:56:00.000-07:00

Once you were a lowly worm just crawling in the dirt.
Even in the soft cocoon you clung to this old earth.
Then one day God gave you wings and lifted you up high -
From the day you believed in Jesus, He gave you
Freedom to soar, to explore His deep blue sky!
He knew just what you'd be and do.
He made you glorious to glide, to climb, to fly!

Dear chrysalis, break free!

Now you are lovely in the image of the Lord..
A creature born of God, like His Son, you are adored
He made you cleansed by His blood and free from sin!
Loosed from all restraints, you are unique. Fashioned
To savor the flavor that pours forth from within.
You touch the Rose of Sharon impassioned,
For His cross is the waiver that brought you to Him.

Dear butterfly, you're free!

2009-06-30T08:29:00.001-07:00

AS HE IS

As You are in this world, so am I, dear Lord Jesus.
As You are in this world, so am I.
You’re in me. I’m in You.
And You love me, yes, You do!
As You are in this world, so am I!

Southern Fishing Stream

2009-06-29T17:48:00.000-07:00

2009-06-12T16:07:00.000-07:00

WHAT IS HOPE?
HOPE - it comes from the Greek word elpizo - taken from Hebrews 11:1, “Faith is the substance of things hoped for“….and the definition here is “to wait for something with joy and confidence and to trust in the One you expect to bring it about“.
Things hoped for…Think about that: the “things you have hoped for” have joined together to make a substance - a material stuff - a foundation that is the very basis for your faith. It is not just wishful thinking. Hope is a like a rock!
One meaning of the word hope is described as an attached rope or cord….so your hope is always attached to something. In our case, there is someone on the other end. God is the One on the other end. Our hope is attached to Him - to His promises, to His faithfulness, to His goodness. Our hope isn’t wishful thinking. It is grounded in the Word of God.
There is a definition of hope that is like that of trust and security - a hope with a safety net, a hope that won’t let us down…like a child falling back in its father’s arms with utter confidence that his father will be there to catch him. Still another description of hope is to tarry, to wait upon, to expect. People who have this sort of hope may not expect instant results, but they DO expect results eventually, and they are willing to wait for those results.
Hope isn’t always passive. Sometimes it is bold, like Abraham’s faith, in Romans 4:18 “Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be.” Still another kind of hope is collective, like the hope of an entire nation or Kingdom.
One of our favorites is the meaning of hope in “Christ in us, the hope of glory“, Colossians 1:27, which is a joyful and confident expectation of good! Hope, then, by definition, is a waiting upon or even a foundation to build upon with expectation. It is complete reliance upon something good and can be an attachment to something or someone - like with a cord. But hope is also a protection, a security.
In this economy, we all need hope. Hope is a life-line to our future success. Hope doesn't look at the now - it focuses on the unseen. Having hope is having full and joyful confidence in the future, with complete trust in our beloved God for a bright tomorrow.
We MUST stir up fresh hope!

2009-06-12T15:35:00.000-07:00

GENUINE HUMILITY

Humility is not weakness. It isn't even meekness as we usually perceive meekness.
How do we know if we are humble?
Humility is reaching out - for help, for companionship, for comfort.
Humility is the honor you give others and your delicate treatment of them.
Humility is sincere strength - without feeling compelled to show you are strong.
Humility is calm self assurance minus arrogance or egotism - without the need for recognition.
Humility is the greatest virtue of leadership.
Humility is laying down pride and turning off self.
Perhaps genuine humility is the necessity of Jesus Christ in our everyday lives, of laying our lives before Him, saying "I need You!"
Who do you think of when you hear the word humility?

Have Faith, My Child

2009-05-19T07:41:00.000-07:00

Eph. 3:16-21, Amplified Version:
May He (God) grant you out of the rich treasury of His glory to be strengthened and reinforced with mighty power in the inner man by the [Holy] Spirit [Himself indwelling your innermost being and personality]. May Christ through your faith [actually] dwell (settle down, abide, make His permanent home) in your hearts! May you be rooted deep in love and founded securely on love, That you may have the power and be strong to apprehend and grasp with all the saints [God's devoted people, the experience of that love] what is the breadth and length and height and depth [of it]; [That you may really come] to know [practically, through experience for yourselves] the love of Christ, which far surpasses mere knowledge [without experience]; that you may be filled [through all your being] unto all the fullness of God [may have the richest measure of the divine Presence, and become a body wholly filled and flooded with God Himself]! Now to Him Who, by (in consequence of) the [action of His] power that is at work within us, is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly, far over and above all that we [dare] ask or think [infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams]-- To Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations forever and ever. Amen (so be it).
My Child:

I have heard your prayers. Only begin to thank Me and praise Me. Only begin to declare that it is done! Only begin to call those things that have not been as though they already are! Then, also, see it! Not just by imagination, but by appropriation! You appropriate the things you need from the spiritual realm into the earthly realm. That IS how it works. There are times when you accidentally connect with the spirit realm and it works for you. But, this time, be deliberate. This time, deliberately appropriate the things you have asked for. For it is by faith.

You have asked for and have declared that you have My kind of faith...the God kind of faith. And I have declared that indeed you do have My kind of faith. Therefore, appropriate the very things you have asked for by that God-faith! In the same way, now access the answers you have asked of Me. Access them and bring them forth into your dimension by way of the cross of Jesus, by way of His shed blood, for there is great power in your appropriation of His blood. Access it and begin to see the change in all those people you pray for, in all those things you pray for, in all those places you pray for. You WILL see! Then, stand, believing - until you see your answer come!

Also, access My anointing by faith. Today, I give you the anointing for this very task. Even now, you know and begin to see in the spirit that I, your Lord Jesus, am cupping My hands and filling them with My oil and pouring them over your head. I am drenching you in My anointing to access this realm of My prayer dimension.

Like any anointing or gift, it increases with the doing of it. It increases with "practice". Begin practicing this anointing with smaller desires, and you will see it grow.

For My desire is for you to walk by faith. It pleases Me! When your prayers match up with My promises, you will come to know that I want your prayers answered even more than you do! So, pray, child, believing that you receive when you pray to Me, and you shall have what you pray! (Mark 11:23-25)

Prayer for Healing

2009-03-10T08:14:00.000-07:00

Are you hurting today? Are you ill? You know, the price Jesus paid at the cross included provision for your healing. The scriptures say that Jesus went about doing good and healing all He touched.

Will you stir your faith with me and pray this prayer? It is my prayer for you to be completely restored to full health!

Dear Lord, We come together in agreement and ask that this precious child of yours be healed. You told us in the Bible that You sent Your word forth to heal us - and to deliver us from all our destructions. So, Lord, whether it is from injury or illness, we believe this dear one's body is quickened and healed! We believe that You, Lord Jesus, bore on Your body the wounds of the beatings, the sword, the nailing to the cross - and that by Your wounds, we were healed, we ARE healed! We apply that promise to this prayer, to this person, now, in Jesus' wonderful Name, and we believe You to heal them and we thank You for it now!

So, receive this simple prayer and begin to thank God every day that you are healed!

Enthusiasm for Living!

2009-03-10T07:54:00.000-07:00

In order to create, you must stir the enthusiasm inside you. Yes, you do have enthusiasm. And you have creative skills!

Perhaps you describe it as mere keeness or interest, but it is there - something that thrills your inner man - something waiting for you to bring it forth; something waiting for you to awaken it and begin to use it! Inside each of us is a fervor, a passion, an excitement over at least one thing in life! Otherwise, you are dead!

I believe it is our 'job', our role as a creator to put our hands to the pump of enthusiasm and push it up and down until we get a constant flow of anticipation, of zeal, of animation, of pure pleasure!

So, if you are sitting there, in the dumps, in depression, in the mully-grubs, in negative pessimism, get up! Get going! Get enthused! Think on something beautiful! Remember something that gave you great pleasure and zero in on it! Then, stir your imagination to multiply that wondrous thing. Smile on it! If you have to take your fingers and turn you mouth up at the corners, do so! Smile. Say, "ha ha ha!" If you will practice this, you will awaken that enthusiasm and optimism inside your soul. You will look forward to the next moment, the next hour, the next day!

Life is bright! Enjoy it! Get enthused!

From Nothing to Something

2009-03-10T07:39:00.000-07:00

The form of creating something is the form of taking nothing and making something from it. Perhaps a better way of describing it is that you take the unseen and make it seen.

A good sculptor says he looks a a large stone and 'sees' the image inside it. Then, he simply removes the excessive stone from it - and behold, there is the image! So, perhaps you 'see' your painting on a blank canvas. Or you 'see' your novel or your poem on a blank piece of paper. Perhaps you 'see' the gorgeous flower in the seed you plant, or picture the beautiful garment by looking at a bolt of fabric.

Creator-you 'sees' the unseen, visualizes the invisible, and makes the nothing become something wonderful!

Stir the Poet Within You

2009-03-10T07:11:00.000-07:00

When you begin to stir the words inside your heart, then write them down, those words become powerful and descriptive and poetic.

Too many so-called poets create for the sake of shock value...or to see how they can squeeze words and fantasize words to make junk, just to hear something unusual.

Poetry can be descriptive of the dark side of life, but must retain a form of beauty, and what is the point of creating anything if it refuses to bring a message of hope? Any fool can make someone hurt. Poetry should ease pain, not stir it.

There is beauty deep inside each of us. When you begin to focus on the passages of portrayal, of narrative, of depiction deep inside you, then you can begin to sketch with words, to use the literary form of picture-words. You can explain every aspect of life with poetry. This is inside each of us. Some only think these descriptions. Some bring out the negative or ugly side of it. I encourage you to bring out the beauty, the truth, the finer side of interpretation. With practice, with the actual doing of it, you sharpen your skills and begin to render a portrait of rhythmical, lyrical, even emotional literary form.

You can use spiritual, mystical, legendary, romantic subjects that no other form of storytelling can offer. Nestled in each poem is a personal conjecture, a part of the uniqueness of your own persona. This brings individuality to each poet, each poem. Therefore, no matter how many poets describe a tree, you can write a beautiful, original, new poem about a tree!

I urge you to sit quietly. Begin to focus on a subject. Put away all distractions. Think on this subject. Ask questions of it. Describe it from a child's point of view, from an older person's point of view. Describe it as though it is the only one that exists in the entire world. Think on it as precious - or as abominable - and "paint" that description. It will remind you of something else. Describe that, too. Then, take a new sheet of paper and start again. You may have to repeat this step. Finally, take all your pages and compose the final draft of your poem.

This method will encourage the poet inside your heart. However, one thing remains consistent. If you don't begin to do it, it will never get done! You must begin!

Write How You Feel

2009-03-09T13:44:00.001-07:00

Write How You Feel

In school, we were taught to write what the teacher told us to write...or write the assignment. We were always guided to write about a given thing. Today's reader wants to know how you feel. A poem is a 'black and white' picture that uses words and descriptions instead of brush and paint and easel.

Begin a poem. In this day and time, you don't have to write rhyme. In fact, it is nearly passe' to rhyme. The more acceptable form is meter. Write how you feel and make the words dance, be they happy or sad. Give them motion and reason. Make them portray how you feel about anything, or everything.

First select something very obtuse, very small or insignificant. Pick up a rock, for instance. Describe it. How does it feel to your hand? How large or how dense is it? What does it relate to? What purpose does it serve? How old do you think it is? What can you do with it? What is its future? What do you think of it? Paint these things in words.

Then move on to another poem and choose a subject more valuable to you...even a person. Use the same methods of description. Let your words compare your subject to something else: i.e. candle flame as "breath of fire" or "golden dancer", etc. Let your thoughts flow. Then practice, practice, practice. Any skill takes practice to get it moving on an even keel. Practice will perfect your talent!

Making Something from Nothing

2009-03-09T11:55:00.000-07:00

MAKING SOMETHING FROM NOTHING

As years fly by I realize I must more quickly do the things I want to do, need to do! I must create. I must make something out of nothing. I must take the mundane and make it beautiful. Instead of always taking, I want to put something worthwhile into this life and add something wonderful into the lives of others.

My life has been really wonderful. God has truly been good to me! There have been a lot of ups and downs with many victories and several tragedies. Life has been both very good - and VERY bad indeed! I have giggled at the funny things and have been touched by the precious side of life. But I have bawled and squalled many times over the down side, too. Deaths of child and parents; problems in relationships, problems with children; divorce; loneliness; times when money was low or non-existent; illnesses, injuries and betrayals; business failures; many losses beyond measure. So, there were certainly low places.

And yet, my life has been full of marvelous people and tremendous journeys! There have been countless times of triumph. There have been successes beyond belief. There have been accomplishments and achievements beyond my dreams.

I tell you all of this to say that you can make it! You can make it through long, difficult illness and injuries. You can make it through painful divorce. You can make it through blending two families of strangers. You can make it through loss of job and businesses. You can make it through the betrayal of your best friend. You can make it when your child runs away or when your child dies. You can make it when you think you can't make it through the night. You can make it when the person you love the most loves you the least. You can make it through being broke and through failure and you can come out on top! I've made it through all of these, but only because I have had faith in God. You, too, can make it if you are putting your trust in Him!

When you are down, get quiet and just talk to God. Better yet, talk to Jesus. He is God's Son and He died for you, so He knows you've got troubles! Just pour your heart out. If you don't believe in Him, ask Him to show Himself real to you. Ask Him if He is real. He won't mind.

Also, He created you to create! This whole website is devoted to the creative talents He has put in you and me. You may not want to paint or write, but there is something you can do... something you are drawn to... something that grabs you! The very thing you love to watch is probably the very talent you have inside of you! Anyway, get quiet and ask Him. It is surely worth exploring!

It is never too late! I didn't start writing poems until my children were grown. And though I had painted when I was very young, I stopped painting for many years and didn't begin again until our five kids were grown and had families of their own.

There are endless talents hidden inside of you. It will surprise you! Just reach and stretch - and never, ever fear! God says, "Fear not!" You can do and hopefully, will do, something tremendous! Never give up! Never quit - and you'll be successful at something!

You Are God's Masterpiece

2009-03-07T06:44:00.000-08:00

Do you wonder about how God feels toward you? Read the following poem of mine, then say it out loud to yourself! (Again and again!)

I AM GOD'S MASTERPIECE

I belong to God!
I am God's masterpiece.
Well, how can this be?
I am valuable to God. He created me.
And His fingerprints are all over me!

God has planned my destiny.
His very thoughts are of me.
Oh, how can this be?
I am born of Him. You see, He cares for me
As He loves His Son Jesus, He also loves me!

I am God's own creation.
I am made in His image.
Why? How can this be?
I am His, therefore He wants me to succeed.
I have God's favor and God's blessing.

God wants me to win.
He made me an overcomer.
But how can this be?
He made me to love and to have great peace.
God desires I should prosper, live whole and be healthy.

I am the apple of God's eye.
I am God's very own child.
Oh how can this be?
God smiles and laughs because of me.
And He rejoices over me with singing.

He created me to be
Just exactly like Himself.
Now how can this be?
He has fashioned me so I can be
Righteousness in Christ Jesus: pure and holy!

God wanted me! He sought me
Out before I ever knew Him!
Just how could this be?
Because I am His masterpiece! And He adores me!
After all, He IS love and He truly loves me!

You Are a Creator!

2009-03-05T15:59:00.000-08:00

YOU ARE A CREATOR!

You are a creator! Yes, YOU! You have a creative talent. Yes, you do!

God put that creative gene on the inside of you. It just needs a bit of coercion.

When I was a little girl, a teacher told me I was a terrible artist. She said the colors I used in her art class clashed and were in terrible taste! (They were the colors of the sunset: red, orange, pink and yellow). But her critique left a lasting impression. I didn't want to create for two more decades!

However, in my late twenties, I began to paint, a hobby that has given me loads of pleasure.

Not everyone can paint, but there are SO many ways of expression! We have a creative family, so it's fun to examine the variety of talent. My husband makes great looking knife holders from small deer antlers and small slabs of wood. One of my favorite things is a small duck he whittled from hardwood.

Our oldest son makes wonderful furniture and patio covers. Our engineer son created unique tree stands for bow-hunting. Another crafts things from wood and bone. A grandson and his wife build beautiful things from cedar that they mill straight from the tree. An older friend became a sculptor later in life, and he makes beautiful things from beads.

It seems that all of our daughters and granddaughters and daughters-in-love are gifted in the areas of painting, crafting, floral arranging, oral speaking, gardening, teaching, etc.

Some chefs create with cooking talents. One friend creates with embroidery, another with quilting, and another with hairstyles. You may write stories or tell jokes or draw cartoons or have a forte' for fashion. You may like to restore old cars or remodel houses or refurbish antiques. You may love to sing. Perhaps you can write songs.

The computer is a marvelous invention for creative skills. Some of my paintings are now done on computer....a concept I am just learning. Also, I began composing poems a few years ago. I was a professional writer for many years, but writing poetry is a fun outlet of expression!

I've only named a few areas that might interest you. I firmly believe that everyone can do something creative! Begin by watching the sun rise and set. Meditate on a beautiful sky or scenery. Ask yourself where your interest lies. What turns you on? If you like it, you may be able to master it!

The thing is: dig in and begin!

My Name's Not Martha, but...

2009-03-05T15:04:00.000-08:00

MARTHA, MARTHA!

My name's not Martha, but I can hear
The Lord's correction in my ear...
"Martha, Martha..."
My name's not Martha, and yet I know
He wants to curb my ebb and flow...
"Martha, Martha...."
If your 'soul name' is Martha,
Then agree with me
That we will sit at Jesus' feet
With Mary who has chosen best
And hear our Lord most wryly jest,
"Martha, Martha, take a rest!"

To Those Bent on Escape

2009-03-05T14:50:00.000-08:00

This was written for those who are bent on escape, determined to run, to do something foolish, something that cannot be undone. This is my plea to you! Please read it and re-read it...and please know that I am praying for you!

DON'T GO BEYOND

Don't go beyond.
Don't travel there, beyond the atmosphere of hope.
Don't visit there. Don't go there now.
Until you know the where and how.
Don't go beyond.
Don't let yourself become the journeyman of doubt
And float around. Don't drift away.
You have yet ample time to stay.
Don't go beyond.
Just grab the Anchor hard and don't let go of Him.
He'll set secure, and fasten tight
The fears that keep you up at night.
Don't go beyond.
I need you here as my ally to share and laugh at life.
So pardon me if I insist
That you must fight - and then resist!
Some go beyond.
Without our right to choose that they should stay.
Would that I could influence them.
But you I can dissuade and tell you, then,
Don't go beyond.
For you are loved! I need you here!
I need you in my atmosphere!
Don't go.

Jesus Is Praying for You!

2009-03-05T14:22:00.002-08:00

This is just a quick study, but nonetheless, it is vital to the believer. These are Jesus' hands, scarred at the wrists, ever living to make intercession for us! He prays before the Throne for us! He intercedes and intervenes when the enemy would try to destroy us! He pleads our case and upholds our cause. When the enemy declares us guilty, Jesus looks at the child of God who believes in the blood He shed on the cross - and Jesus declares us guiltless! We are guiltless ONLY because He took every one of our sins and nailed it to the cross in His own flesh. Thus the scars that still mar His beautiful hands! Thus the stripes that still mark His back. All for you and for me...to ransom us and give us innocence! When you are distress, think of these loving hands and remember that Jesus is praying for YOU!

Love is God's Masterpiece

2009-03-05T14:13:00.000-08:00

LOVE IS GOD'S MASTERPIECE

Every artist of historic renown
Each painter of man's colorful record upon this earth
Has created at least one masterpiece.
A canvas of genius from the essence of himself.
A masterwork that becomes immortal.
A masterpiece that outlives time
A work of art can span the centuries like
The rays of a morning sun upon the ocean waves,
Which in turn soak up golden, sparkling sunbeams
As the lights cross the clouds, disperse the fogs
And whisk the radiance to the distant shore.
God's own masterpiece is Love.
Love which spanned the centuries of time.
Love which paints the portrait of His divinity,
The essence of His energy and warmth,
His sunlight pouring through trillions of rays.
He is the risen Sun with healing in His wings.
His Love is a masterpiece that outlives time
A work of art reflecting His hot and passionate Love
Poured out upon the oceans of our souls
And in turn, painting Love upon our spirits
Though the glory of His cross and the beauty of His sacrifice.
His Love-light crossing the clouds, dispersing the fogs
And whisking us to the safety of His distant arms
Now close, now comforting, now healing
Now stroking us like a mother with a newborn babe.
Now wrapping us up in His great Love.
God's masterpiece, His Love.

Glowing Angel

2009-03-05T10:40:00.000-08:00

This is one of the angels I painted who, I perceive, is leaving our atmosphere for heaven. I believe he is going for a fresh anointing, a re-charge. Although he still glows with God's power, he is leaving the darkness of this earth behind and faces that glorious light coming from Jesus seated with the Father on God's Throne. You know, we get glimpses of God's glory on this earth, but it is nothing to compare with the overwhelming, awesome, magnificence of the full Light we will get to see in heaven. This is a wonderful place. It is another planet or dimension, but I believe it is much larger than earth - and is large enough to hold billions of people and even more angels! I think it is an exciting place, full of activity and beauty and enjoyable things to do. I do not believe we will just sit on a cloud playing a harp! I believe there are mansions and neighborhoods, rivers and lakes, animals and parks, places to learn and places to play, places to dine. I think it is a delightful place where we will have time to visit with friends and loved ones without time constraint....or we can sit by a pond and fish as long as we want. But the best part of all is that we will get to see Jesus face to face and we can be in His presence and experience His love and learn at His feet as often as we desire!

A Prayer for Prosperity and Provision

2009-03-05T10:07:00.000-08:00

DO YOU NEED A PRAYER FOR PROVISION TODAY?

The Bible says that God wants you to have plenty.

Jesus said of Himself: "The thief comes not, except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have [it] more abundantly." John 10:10

"For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that you through his poverty might be rich." 2 Corinthians 8:9
"And God [is] able to make all grace abound toward you; that you, always having all sufficiency in all [things], may abound to every good work" 2 Corinthians 9:8
"If you can believe, all things are possible to them that believe" (Mark 9:23).
"God meets all my needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus." (Phil. 4:19)
"And whatsoever you shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son." (John 14:13)
"Behold, the days come, says Jehovah God, that the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him that sows seed; and the mountains shall drop sweet wine, and all the hills shall melt." (Amos 9:13)
"Beloved, I wish above all things that thou you prosper and be in health, even as your soul prospers." 3 John 2

My prayer for you:

Dearest Father God, we thank you for Your Word , and choose to believe that you will meet our needs; that You will take care of us and prosper us, because we ask in Your Name and because we overtake the reaper and the sower....we enter into that place where the mountains are dropping sweet wine and all the hills shall melt for us. So, Father, we believe these Bible verses, because Your Word is truth! We put these needs before You and we anticipate them being met; we ask for abundance in the Name of Your precious Son, Jesus! Now, we thank You and praise You, dear Lord, for hearing and answering our prayers; we believe that we receive when we prayed this! Thank You, dear God, for Your love and for Your abundant provision!

Spark the Fire in Your Life!

2009-03-05T09:20:00.000-08:00

A QUICK WAY TO SPARK THE FIRE IN YOUR LIFE

Is life exciting for you? Do you anticipate each new day? Are you enthusiastic about your life and those around you?

There are easy ways to stir up enthusiasm in your soul. There are ways to tackle life with more passion, to resist pessimism and personal limitations. There are ways to look positively at life and become an optimist! A new enthusiasm will give you renewed energy, a new quality of life and will trigger new ideas, new talents and a whole new outlook on life.

You can compensate for almost any lack with eager enthusiasm, with a determination to fight for your dreams.

These steps are simple. They are scriptural. And they work!

1. Get quiet. Close your eyes and picture the cross. See Jesus suffering on that cross - for you! Next, see the cross now empty, with Jesus risen to heaven. Then see Jesus living in you! Now, stir that excitement that is resident within you. Jesus inside of you is the author of your faith, the motivator of your hopes and dreams...He is the cheerleader inside of you, the activator of your prosperity and success and health; He is the answer for everything you need!
(I wrote a song that says, "You're my everything, You're my all in all! You are everything I need!")

2. What you do will precede what you feel. You do first, then feelings follow. So, if you begin to act enthusiastic and excited, you will soon feel that emotion! Practice seeing Jesus enthusiastic within you. Then begin to do the same. Practice that same enthusiasm. It's like learning to love or forgive. You must make the decision and the determination, "I will love this person!" And you begin doing that long before you feel any love for them! But if you remain steadfast that you will love them by your decision, then eventually your feelings will follow. You may never "like" them....but you will indeed "love" them! So it is with forgiveness and so it is with enthusiasm and a positive outlook!

3. Meditate on these verses, and say them out loud. (I often say them in front of the mirror, so that I am virtually speaking them to my inner soul!) Speaking the Word of God has unlimited power. It can certainly change the pessimist attitude inside of us, and turn it into an optimist attitude with a bright outlook!

Say, out loud:

He has made me to be the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus! 2 Cor. 5:21
I am blessed of God in the city or in the country, when I come in or when I go out.
God's blessings run and overtake me. Deut. 28
If God is for me who can be against me? Rom. 8:31
I am a king, a priest and a son of God. Rev. 1:6, Gal. 4:6
I am a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation. I Peter 2:9
God has blessed the work of my hands. Deut. 14:29, 24:19
God chose me and loved me before I ever knew Him. I John 4:19
With God all things are possible. Matt. 19:26
Nothing is impossible to him who believes. Matt. 17:20
I seek the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto me. Matt. 6:33
With God, all things are possible Matthew 19:26
I speak to the mountains and they move! Matt. 17:20
I resist the devil and he flees from me. James 4:7
I call on the angels and they come and minister to me. Heb. 1:14
I believe; therefore I speak the Word and thereby change my circumstances.2 Cor. 4:13
I shall not want. Psalm 23:1
Goodness and mercy shall follow me always. Psalm 23:6
Healing is the children's bread. It is mine! Mark 7:27
I have the mind of Christ. I Cor. 2:15
God said He would answer what I ask in Jesus' Name. Jn. 14:13, 14; 15:16, 16:23-26
I love the Word of God because it works for me! Psalm 33:4
All my needs are met according to God's riches in glory by Jesus. Phil. 4:19

Zephaniah 3:17 (NLT) says - "For the LORD your God has arrived to live among you. He is a mighty savior. He will rejoice over you with great gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will exult over you by singing a happy song."

Now, knowing that these things are true of you, rejoice! Be happy! Be overjoyed! You can tackle anything!!!

Do You Know God Loves YOU? Pray this to be certain!

2009-03-05T08:13:00.000-08:00

Has anyone ever told you that God loves you and that He has a wonderful plan for your life? If you were to die this very second, do you know for sure, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that you would go to Heaven?

This is what the Holy Bible says: "for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God" and "for the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord". The Bible also reads, "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved". You are a "whosoever" right? Of course you are; all of us are.

I’m going to say a quick prayer for you. Lord, bless this one that You love so much and the ones they love with long and healthy lives. Jesus, make Yourself real to this one who is looking to You. Do a quick work in their heart. If this precious one has not received Jesus Christ as his or her personal Lord and Savior, I pray they will do so now.

To receive the gift God has for you today, say this with your heart and lips out loud. "Dear Lord Jesus, come into my heart. Forgive me of my sin. Wash me and cleanse me! Set me free! Jesus, thank You that You died for me. I believe You are risen from the dead and that You’re coming back again for me. Fill me with the Holy Spirit. Give me a passion for the lost, a hunger for the things of God and a holy boldness to tell others the gospel of Jesus Christ. Now I know I’m saved; I’m born again, I’m forgiven and I’m on my way to Heaven because now I have Jesus in my heart."

Because you prayed that prayer, I tell you today that all of your sins are forgiven. Always remember to run to God and not from God because He loves you and has a great plan for your life. He said He will never leave you nor forsake you...no, NEVER! Now, go tell someone you are born again; you are born of God!

If you earnestly prayed this prayer, tell me so, and I will be glad to send you some information on what to do as a new believer. Congratulations and welcome to the family of God!

I Cried Jesus

2009-03-04T16:23:00.000-08:00

I CRIED JESUS!

I cried out “Jesus!” - Name of all Names. I cried, but I still don’t know why.
I cried out “Jesus!” - Name of all Names. I called and He answered my cry.
For years I tried to find answers. For years I concealed all my fears.
Long years I presented a front to the world, pretending to master those years.
Nothing could stop me from sinning. Nothing could break me from vice.
No persuasion could ever touch my cold heart, for no one had led me to Christ.
But during a storm, I cried “Father!” He rescued my family and me.
Though God then began a good work in my life, I still was too blind to see.
Soon, I discovered the error of my ways. He arranged for the day I’d get saved.
For God welcomed me as His child, you see - no matter how wrong I’d behaved.
A friend recommended I ask Holy Spirit to fill my life with His power.
I cried, “Holy Spirit!” He flooded my being; I asked and He filled me that hour.
He gifted me with His anointing. He taught me the right way to pray.
He introduced me to the Savior, my Lord...and told me just what I must say.
At His entreaty, I cried out “Jesus!” Who heard me and drew me to Him.
As I continued petitions to Jesus, He started to free me from sin,
He flooded my being with compassion. He showed me the things I must do.
I’ll accomplish my years crying “Lord Jesus" because He has proven He's true!
I cried out “Jesus!” Name above all Names. I cried, but I still don’t know why.
I cried out “Jesus!” Name above all Names. I called and He answered my cry.

What Is Hope?

2009-03-04T16:12:00.000-08:00

WHAT IS HOPE?

HOPE - it comes from the Greek word elpizo - taken from Hebrews 11:1, “Faith is the substance of things hoped for“….and the definition here is “to wait for something with joy and confidence and to trust in the One you expect to bring it about“.
Things hoped for…Think about that: the “things you have hoped for” have joined together to make a substance - a material stuff - a foundation that is the very basis for your faith. It is not just wishful thinking. Hope is a like a rock!
A word translated hope from the Book of Job is described as an attached rope or cord….so your hope is always attached to something. In our case, there is someone on the other end. God is the One on the other end. Our hope is attached to Him - to His promises, to His faithfulness, to His goodness. Our hope isn’t wishful thinking. It is grounded in the Word of God.
There is one definition of hope that is like that of trust and security - a hope with a safety net, a hope that won’t let us down…like a child falling back in its father’s arms with utter confidence that his father will be there to catch him. Still another description of hope is to tarry, to wait upon, to expect. People who have this sort of hope may not expect instant results, but they DO expect results eventually, and they are willing to wait for those results.
Hope isn’t always passive. Sometimes it is bold, like Abraham’s faith, in Romans 4:18 “Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be.” Still another kind of hope is collective, like the hope of an entire nation or Kingdom.
One of our favorites is the meaning of hope in “Christ in us, the hope of glory“, Colossians 1:27, which is a joyful and confident expectation of good! Hope, then, by definition, is a waiting upon or even a foundation to build upon with expectation. It is complete reliance upon something good and can be an attachment to something or someone - like with a cord. But hope is also a protection, a security. Having hope is having full and joyful confidence in the future, with complete trust in our beloved God.

Field of Spring Pink

2009-03-04T11:51:00.000-08:00

My painting, "Field of Spring Pink", depicts my favorite time of year and my favorite flowers...wildflowers. There is just something about a meadow full of pink buttercups that tickles the child in us and makes us want to run through it barefoot! Springtime is near, and so it is a wonderful time to do "spring cleaning"...in our homes and in our hearts! Time to refurbish and refresh the old and add a healthy sprinkling of something brand new! It's time to dust off our faith and believe for something grand. It's time to remember that all beauty comes from our Creator, and that He can make everything new - just like Springtime! It's also a time to rejoice, to sing, to be glad that we are alive today!

Autumn Reflections

2009-03-04T11:15:00.001-08:00

This painting of mine is "Autumn Reflections". It truly is a place for reflection. It's a place where we can think on the goodness of God, and His plan for us to reflect His own virtues and His own personality and even His goodness. This pond mirrors what surrounds it, and we do the same. If we surround ourselves with God, then we mirror Him. The bridge in the background is also important. It's the place from "here" to "there". This is mandatory. We must have the motivation to leave "here" and go to "there". You may not believe you can, but you are created and designed to do great things! But in order to accomplish those great things, you must be mobile! You must be able to move up the ladder, to go from glory to glory. This is scripture. This is God's plan for your destiny! So, reflect Him, cross the bridge, and aim for the gold!

2009-03-04T10:39:00.000-08:00

KINGDOM OF GOD

Try as I might to settle myself down,
My soul is pricked with nettles.
My fickle ears desire to hear the void,
But are annoyed with the hum
of my own mind.
The thump of my pulse, the sigh of the wind,
The snap of a twig, the rustle of leaves
Like thriving bees in a busy hive,
Sounds disrupt until my mind erupts
Into a flurry of distractions and anxieties.
As busyness thrashes about in my head
Unseen shadows call forth questions...
I wonder who am I?
What shall I do; am I so odd?
Am I doing anything that matters?
Yet, I am very sure
I have a destiny from God.
This decreasing and diminishing of self
My mind ponders what it requires.
Must I kill ‘self’ to still myself?
To try to know my God? To know His will?
To enter His Kingdom? Calm on the pond,
Smiles of a child, paths of peace.
As I think on things that are good,
Can rest restore, as my soul explores
Deep vaults of comprehension and perception?
I strain to hear the country’s calm,
the quiet night
And long to be placid, tranquil, serene.
Yearning to fling the worried world far from me,
Aching to tune my being to Divine,
For I know the will of God is life’s necessity.
I hunt for wisdom and understanding.
To search beyond the average, the mundane.
I dare to seek for what’s unique in
Untapped vaults of information, observation.
I was taught to seek God and His righteousness,
Intended to find this time in all of history,
This place, this space in all eternity
That I was meant to be!
To this age I am born,
To this commission, to intercession
There is this time...this hour,
And I am part of it. Still, I shall seek!
I shall seek first the Kingdom of God.
For I was born to know this King first-hand,
Designed just like my Lord, royal and divine,
Destined to reign and serve His unseen land.

Blessed Sunrise

2009-03-04T08:38:00.000-08:00

One of my paintings, "Blessed Sunrise", gives me hope of a new day, a new horizon, a new expectation, a new walk with God, a renewed faith in all that is good! I look at this, and I realize that a day which began in utter darkness has now exploded into breathtaking light! And as the sun (or God's Son) intensifies in my darkness, then that darkness is dispelled and my entire outlook is full of His light! I encourage you to allow Jesus, who IS Light, brighten the gloom of your day. One scripture, Romans 8:31, says, "If God is for us, who can be against us?" There is only one catch: This begins to work only when we believe it! So, believe that God is FOR you! Believe He loves you and wants to make everything in your life brighter, like this sunrise!

2009-03-03T09:42:00.001-08:00

WANTING THINGS TO COUNT

Consider all those who have gone on before,
The gruff lonely man; the sweet children next door.
When troubles prevail and end-times surmount
Can we make the difference? Will our lives really count?
Can we say with our Lord that we'll not be afraid
Of the terror by night nor the arrows by day?
Can we look to our God and see victory there,
Though the world's but a spiral caught in mid-air?
What will be our life's work? What good have we been?
Have we seen to our neighbor Have we been a good friend?
Is it time to get rolling? To offer that hand?
To give to the needy, to bless our own clan?
To put forth the effort, to watch and to pray?
Is the time growing shorter, with more nighttime than day?
When we look at the signs and see where we are,
May our good deeds number as high as the stars.
Our love must be greater, our compassion must grow...
We've got to do better at letting men know
There is a live God and He loves them so much
That He planned we would translate His God-loving touch.
In the time we have left, we must make moments reach
To the lonely, the hurt and the sick! We must teach
Men everywhere, Jesus - His gospel good news -
We must take up His cause and we've no time to lose!
So, make your life count, pour your love out on people;
Build friendships before you build churches with steeples.
Build long, loving bridges; build highways for others.
Repair broken bonds between sisters and brothers.
Mend neighbors' fences and shore up their dams;
Pour love on your family; and rescue their lambs.
We don't have tomorrow - we've only today,
To make our lives count so then He can say,
'Well done, My son, My daughter, My dear, precious child.
You've been very faithful. Come, rest a long while!"
And to see the sweet look that will come on His face
Is worth every effort and task that we've faced.
It's worth all the sacrifice; worth all the labor,
Because we have pleased Him by loving our neighbor!
That's what it's about; it's the only TRUE thing!
When all's said and done, we're just pleasing the King!

Forest at Dawn

2009-03-03T09:22:00.000-08:00

"Forest at Dawn" is a wonderful place to think on God's glory! I considered, when I painted this painting, that it should reflect the wonders of His light, His warmth, His sovereignty! In the quiet morning, the ceiling of the dark forest breaks into glorious, breathtaking light as the dawn overcomes the night, the light overcomes the darkness, the glory overcomes the mundane! As you stare at the central light, focus on the rays, on the reflections. The light travels through the forest quickly, lighting first the leaves, then the upper branches, then the trunks and finally, the floor. So it is with us. We receive God's enlightenment on our inner heart, then it begins to spread to our spirit, soul and body. God has wonders for us to behold, wonders for us to drink in, wonders for us with every new dawn, every new day!

Pleasant Farm

2009-02-20T12:05:00.001-08:00

This painting is "Pleasant Farm", and it is another place to go in your imagination...a place to rest, to contemplate God's bounty and His goodness. When I think of His harvests, I remember that Jesus said He came to bring us life and life more abundantly. Abundance, bounty, increase. The Lord will take care of us and meet all our needs and plenty of our desires. We just need to use our faith by reading and hearing scriptures and believing them! As you view the Pleasant Farm, think on pleasant things. Think on prayers God has already answered. If there are none, then believe He will answer you in the future! He has pleasant things in store for you!

Blue Isle Painting

2009-02-20T10:24:00.000-08:00

This is Blue Isle Painting. This is a place in my heart where I go to relax, to repose, to rest and to recapture my soul. The Lord takes us to the green pastures and still waters and restores our souls. When you imagine yourself on this beautiful island, just let go of all your troubles, curl up in the warmth of God's Sonshine and let His love pour over you like warm honey. Imagine that you are leaning back on your Heavenly Father. Let go of all of life's cares and rest in His arms. Trust Him. He will solve your giant dilemmas and make them seem like nothing. He will take your hurts and turn them into something good. Just let go and let God!

OUR IMAGES

2009-02-14T15:34:00.001-08:00

Deep inside the heart of us.

Lives the image of the Creator.

Creativity dreaming to be loosed,

Longing to be at liberty

To concoct a concept different.

New images.

Fresh-filled forms to design, describe, depict

Images.

Expressions of seeking souls to be unveiled

In pen and paint, type and fabric,

Stone and metal, wire and plastic.

Duplicating Creator’s creation

We are ever-inquiring, ever-inquisitive -

Our hearts desire, our minds create.

God gave us the go-ahead

And left us loose to launch

His images.

Capricious capacity to invent, inspire, increase

Images.

In a new entity, novel and unique,

Never done before, nor a part of us.

Now devised because we're curious.

The image of the Creator is in us.

We have that sixth sense ability

Of talent deep inside, yearning to be loosed,

Longing to be unleashed to form its own works;

To frame and cast, compose and shape

These images.

Imitating our Creator’s imprints on humanity.

In images.

To formulate, manipulate and stimulate

Is the desire in us who want to duplicate

Our own Creator's ability to create Images.

CONTAGION

2009-02-14T15:17:00.000-08:00

I think on Your Love, Lord.

How very much You love me.

I think also how much I love You, Lord.

Then, I think if You love me and I love You,

and You love another,

it must be imperative

that I love another, too.

And so it goes.

PRAYER

2008-07-07T20:32:00.000-07:00

Dear Father:
I come to You in the Name of Your precious Son, Jesus - the only Christ! - in behalf of this one who needs Your benefits...this one who needs your healing power, your saving grace, your dynamo power, your wonderful mercy, and your constant provision. I ask You, dear Lord, to move in their life so powerfully that they will know without a doubt that it was You! You, who moved circumstances! You, who sent Your angels to minister to them! You, to whom nothing is too difficult, nothing too hard! Dear Holy Spirit, we invite You in this situation to bring those things hidden in darkness into the light so this dear person can receive Your wisdom and Your direction. Help them!
Dear Lord Jesus! Dear Savior, we need You now! And we thank You and praise You forever!
In Your Name we pray, Amen.

From my book of poems, "Love Himself Loves You"

2008-07-07T15:51:00.000-07:00

COLORED SUN OF SKY ABOVE

Oh, Sun-kissed sky of early dawn,
Of lilac mist and perfect pink
I peek at you through curtains drawn
But fail to flatter you I think.
Bright, rapid colors take my breath.
I stare in awesome wonder
As rose and yellow-orange palettes
Throw color schemes asunder,
The lavenders have turned to gold.
Soft clouds now traced in red
With tints both pale and bravely bold
Show brilliant sunbeams overhead.
The One Who builds kaleidoscopes
Must know I love this sky.
As He lifts me to morning hope,
I dare not question why.
So, colored Sun of sky above
Take heart when clouds are gray.
Your rising opens awesome Love
To warm the darkest day!

MIND OF THE CREATOR

This Creator mind imagines images.
But we create clarion-colored canvases,
Of muted murals or proud portraits.
Soothing, shocking, satisfying,
Stained slates of illustration. Fresh images.
Yes, we've collaborated; we ourselves created
Images.
Carefully carved; meticulously molded, perfectly painted
Welded wonders. Textured textiles.
Striking statues. Bold bastions of bas-relief.

Creator is Master of the written word,
so we elaborate in ear-tickling tales
Filled with astounding adjectives and violent verbs.
Our hands produce and machines construct
Scintillating sensations, titillating tome. True images.
For we have fashioned finely fabled
Images.
Of ringing rhymes and pleasant prose,
Accurate, admirable accounts, or
Fabrications of far-fetched fiction.

The image of the Creator.
That sixth sense ability
Of talent deep inside yearning to be loosed
Hoping to be unleashed to form original works;
To frame and cast, compose and shape. Real images.
Red-hot, radical and revolutionary
Imprints on humanity.
These images.
From author, inventor, sculptor, engineer
From weaver, painter, poet, pioneer.
Duplicating our Creator’s creation.
Contriving composites and divine designs
To formulate, manipulate and stimulate
Our images.

God, help us contrive compositions and divine designs
From author, inventor, sculptor, engineer
From weaver, painter, poet, pioneer.
Red-hot, radical and revolutionary. To view images.
As New images. True images.
The “You” images!

JUST LIKE HIM

I am destined for dominion on this earth.
I'm created for His glory. I am destined for His love.
He made a king and priest of me and said I am His 'son'.
He fashioned me to be like Him, counting value, knowing worth
There's power when he starts on me, and power when He's done.
He never looks at what I've earned or what I may deserve.
But He teaches me to minister and shows me how to serve.

I know no other little god could ever hope to be
The everything this Mighty God
Is in everything we see.
He's in everything in earth and heaven, in every little cell.
He filled up every tiny niche
And conquered earth and hell.
He has made His very presence known
Where lowest demons dwell.
He is all and all and more to come with all eternity to tell
What words will always fail to say,
He is far beyond description in every single way.

Yet, when I talk to Him and pray
I know He listens just to me
This splendid, glorious, wondrous God
With angels at His beck and call...
With His astounding majesty
Can tune His awesome concentration
To my static frequency -
Because He's made Himself at home
Inside the likes of you and me.

I am destined to conform to what He's like.
I’m created in His image. I am born to be like God.
My capacity is God-like, from beginning to my end.
He is teaching me infinity. He is lifting up my sight.
I am fashioned in His likeness. I am born to be like Him.
I'm a prism from His glory. I'm a candle from His light.
I live just for His glory. His own purpose is my life.

BUT NOT BEYOND REACH

In the ignorance of a novice searching for God
I fell into the slippery pace of discontent...
Never satisfied with my life-station,
With my walk, with my call.
On bended knee was I ever begging God,
Ever seeking His favor...
Sands of a silent season
Not knowing His righteousness
Nor that I could receive it without effort.
Glorious God! Intense Inspiration!
That God that I so wanted - seemed so beyond my reach.
Months melt into thick, sticky years chasing God,
Always striving, Always trying. Always beyond reach!
Then I saw Love one day in a friend.
She had simply asked Him and received.
So I also asked and I waited...
Around the corner came the day of joy
When God-Love took me, captured my heart.
His rivers of living water rinsed my past.
Scrubbed me, washed me, and I was clean!
I saw Him as Love! I saw His love for me!
His tenderness, His earnestness. Acceptance without condition!
Generous Giver! Munificent Maker!
Love: His liquid, glowing ember; His warm, wooly down.
When I left the fluff and stuff of Religion far behind,
I seemed to whirl on spirit-Winds of effortless joy.
No self-induced works. No earning my way.
Nothing to attain. Nothing to deserve.
No more languishing in soft, frothy beds of self pity
Buried in deep, furrowed pillows of remorse.
No! Just letting go and leaning on His strong
Everlasting arms of love.
Gladdening, gratifying.
Leaning on Jesus' works. On what He earned.
What He attained on the cross. What He deserves.
Only leaning. Only believing. Being in Him. Being with Him.
Lavish Lord! Resplendent Resurrection!
Christ of unsearchable riches,
God of fathomless depth -
But NOT beyond reach...for now I’m His and He's my own!
And we belong together!

GOD’S FAVORITES

I am God's favorite.
And you're God's favorite, too.
The good things He has done for me,
He'll also do for you.

We're all God's favorites.
He adores us, yes, each one.
It is because we are His kids,
He's made it such great fun!

You are God's favorite,
But I'm God's favorite, too.
All that He has done for you,

He'll bless me with that, too.

We're all God's favorites.
He loves us like His Son!
He paid the price and sacrifice.
So, all the work's been done!

I AM THE PROMISE CHILD

I’ve been pardoned to perpetuate
a life of brilliant trust,
Yet, here I am on arms of those gone on.
Silent, long forgotten
Soldiers of another time
where life was sweet and sane.
I’m not alone, but oh,
the pain of loneliness, of business
grabs me by the neck and strangles me.
I settle low and pull my fears
around me like a cloak together with
sweet memories of softer days
and reveries of joy.
It’s good to ponder and remember
mid the murmuring I mutter
as I pull myself together,
not in fretting nor forgetting
all the moments of the past.

But in focusing and fussing
on the circumstance
that’s causing what I’m going through,
I tend to cope
when hope can lift my chin and raise my eyes
to look outside myself.
Outside my shell, my cell of choice
To activate a part of me that’s hardened me.
I long for statuettes and paintings
down the long hall of past to counsel me,
To tell me what to do, to lead me on.

To guide beyond these
cloistered walls of safety nets.
Immense regrets sweep over
me. I am ashamed.
And yet, I know the blame is not just mine,
For there’s a history of centuries
of silent sin of sloth
and indolence
that vilify the family
and make a mockery of me,
this family history. Thank God,
I'm born again of Spirit King.
Now, my heritage is God's. I am
created in His likeness
and I strive to be like Him.

So, I am deep, consumed in awe
of those now watching me.

Their goals are different now,
Advancing me to better things I will attain.
I do believe that I have gained
their trust this time.
I will prove that I am
all they have desired for me to be.
I think their eyes look happily
on me. The past is gone,
I will succeed for them.
I am their promise child.

THE IMAGE MAKER

The Image Maker - a book I wrote
describing the supernatural power of my Lord.
Unlike the bitterness of man,
God lovingly propels the porous paint of love
He lavishes on us tones and shapes
To change our hearts,
That we would be like our Lord.
That we would be in one accord.

The colors of His palette are as awesome as a sunrise over water
or a field of fresh flowers after rain.
He floods our souls with liquid,
Bright and brisk as luminous sunrays
Splash golden glow and white
On the mural of our dear Lord's bride.

God fills the shallow places with honey-colored love so thick
It oozes from our canvases,
Slowly seeping onto others,
Intensifying their lives with devotion
With warmth and fervor and raw emotion..

The Painter of the Universe splashes pigments in our lives
As though He were forever
The Artisan of Fervor -
The Creator of all Color!
He waves His magnificent hand.
In air He carves a sculptor's groove
As rainbows follow this skillful move.

With ardent zeal, He moves His great brush through the entire earth,
Colors responding in riotous rhythm:
Reds of living passion.
Oranges of vim and vigor,
Yellows of eager enthusiasm,
Greens of brilliant hope,
Blues of tranquil peace,
Purples of royal victories.

The Image Maker is yet Creator
Extraordinaire, continually working
On His greatest masterpiece!
That canvas/man of you and me.

WHAT WILL THE POTTER SAY?
(To be read aloud)

The clay pot that first got itself up on God's wheel was unwilling to give Him an inch.
Yes, that clay tried to hide from the light that shined brightly over the Great Potter's bench!

Pot was going so knowingly opposite - totally going away from God's care!
It was grudgingly nudging Him, not really budging yet... .head in the dirt and feet in the air!

A product of earth, the color of dirt, the clay was already marred.
Not willing to change, and stubborn of heart, the clay had become cold and hard

That clay pot, so shy, would, cry, "Qh Master Potter, oh why did you make me this way?"
But, God said to the red pot, "Shall what I have formed question what I will do with your clay?"

(A mixture of mud, a pot that held sin, a mess that knew not how to pray,
Would argue and gripe and say to its Maker, 'oh why have You made me this way? '...) ??

"Does Potter, the Father, not have the sole right to make of your knotted old lump
A jar from the common used only for lowly use - now in My hands to become...

A jar more than ever before could have held the fine things that I see in yourself:
A blessed container that's grander and finer than all of the pots on My shelf!"

The stubborn red dirt, the unyielding old clay, the pot that had held only bad,
Became soft and warm and began to let go of the past that had made it so mad!

Then, Great Potter, the Father - now roughly, now gently, forming and shaping His way,
By His hand, oh so grandly -- now molding and kneading that brave little pot of red clay...

That product of earth, that color of dirt, that lump that had been very wrong,
Was now willing to change and was softer of heart, and was coming quite nicely along!

The Lord smiled a smile now, His mildest and tenderest grin as He shaped the soft clay.
God caressed it and dressed it in shimmering gold as He polished and shined it, He'd say:

"Little mixture of My love, li’l pot that holds Jesus, li’l jar that holds My great faith,
You have humbled yourself, you've allowed Me to form you; now you shall pray and obey.

"Then I, Potter, the Father, prepare you for glory, for noble potential - you'll see!
For behold the gold molding is now full of power - to be used to bring honor to Me!

"For it took both of us, both the Potter and clay, to form this fine vessel I've got...
It's a beauty, a prize, a pleasure I treasure, formed from the lowly old pot!"

So, if you're in the pure fire, refining and smelting and hurting - it's but a short while
'Til Potter, the Father, says. "Well done, My daughter... My son. .. My sweet golden child!"

WHAT’S WRONG WITH BEAUTIFUL?

What’s wrong with Beautiful?
In the shifting, whirling, bustling
Pace of new Millennium,
Midst sophisticated, slick, sardonic,
Gabardine and wool of pin-stripes.
White cotton pleats, pearl-buttoned shirts,
Starched stiff and stuffy.
Black heels clattering on marble tile
Echoing in hollow, hallowed market halls.
Atmospheres of business, empty busyness
Upon the shale of scales. Profits, losses,
Filing figures. Void of feeling.
Without name, without shame. Ugly!
Affluence, indifference, the ambiance.
Perchance, the terror of this modern world
Is monetary gain gaining dominion,
Gaining momentum.
Cold, calculating, computer analysis
Is brainwashing, Brain drowning.
Causing death. Causing shame.
Who will see? Who will know?

Who will miss daytrader, clerk, financial whiz?
Who will mourn politician, secretary, janitor, CEO
From heart attacks? From money woes? Ugly!
Whatever happened to Beautiful?
Buck Rogers taught us not to totter
On the brink of speculation.
Are the prophecies of yesteryear now here?
And how did loveliness diverge?
When we need harmony to be revivified,
The softer side, the friend’s concern.
The dreamy walks by water’s edge
Silver-blue, still and smooth.
Quiet nights, silent strolls.
Mirrored moon moving slowly.
Hazy days. Lazy ways.
Where went sidewalks, porches, rocking chairs?
Roller skates and strollers, kitchen smells?
Who’s our neighbor? What’s his flavor?
Is he sweet or sour? Let me know!
Where is Beautiful? Oh, God, I miss her so!