Weather and Trust

There is nothing more circumstantial than the weather. and nothing more ephemeral.

I grew up with the phrase admonishing that if you did not like the Illinois weather, all you had to do was wait an hour.  But then there would be those summer days when no matter how long you waited, it never cooled off.

Weather changes when you do not want it to, and will not change when you do desire a change most fervently.

Maybe weather is one of the things about this life that encouraged us to seek the reliable and unshifting, to long for a sure foundation.

I am in a situation where the situational weather, the storms and trials of this life,  blow strong or simmer hot or chill long and hard.  Mild weather is only a predictor that somewhere, a storm is brewing. 

Sometimes I get caught in the storm and consumed by it.  I forget about a sure foundation and despair of survival.  Or at least I get distracted enough by the raging that I think I have lost my way home.

But then I see may way clear.  So many times, like the last time a few days ago, the clear way is not a path forward at all, but the realization that the storm is raging around me, not on me.  The realization that I am standing on my Father's porch.  I feel the wind, hear the clashing, and get the mist of it on my face.  But I am on my Father's porch.

I trust where I am, I just sometimes forget where I am.

Then I look and see that there is still room on the porch for more of my Father's children.

Rest for My Soul

Torment is not normal, but it is available. I do not know what I stepped in, but I am having some trouble getting it off of my shoe. The saving grace is that reality is on the other side of owning that shoe and needing to perfect it to be happy.

There is rest for my soul...and for yours too. I caught myself asking myself about that line, rest for all. I did not feel in rest. But that did not and does not change the essential fact that there is rest for all. If I am not at rest, that is the result of my choosing to be somewhere else.

Years ago I was telling Patrick about my vision of Hope. I just recalled it, and how rich it was, and is. No need to even go near the edge. Upon a rock that is higher than I. Big enough that at the center, at the feet of God, I can not even see the edge. And then as I fall into the grace of God, I even forget the edge. My enemies can not get up here on their own. I can go to the edge and look down on them and laugh, but that takes me away from gazing, in rapture.

Father, thank you for rapture.

Faith in Christ

Clinging to nothing else is not enough. That just means adrift.

Clinging, leaning all on Christ is enough and all. The Word, the message of good news is that there is a place to lean, it is a place worthy of your trust, and it is the only place to lean on that matters. So that whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

What is the purpose of having eternal life? For the healing of the nations. For the manifestation of the Kingdom of God.

Bring the Kingdom of God into your places, and see life, love, flow into Kingdomless corners and hearts. Having eternal life, bear eternal life into the waste places. Only Kingdom people can bring the Kingdom. Only vessels of perfect love can make it available for the removal of fear.

Plenty of nice religions out there for those who need one. Only one place to trust, rest, heal, hope. And then walk out, carrying water to the thirsty.

Daddy, thank you for Your Word of Truth.

Yes

What a joyful day. A day full of Yes.

The really cool thing is the realization that it just keeps getting better. In the Kingdom, a member of the royal family, settled at home, with a place at the table, surrounded by glory, not alone, no longer Fatherless, no longer an orphan. Not going to be kicked out. Welcome to stay. Meeting new family members every day. Building for the future. Resting. Delivered. Free. With access to limitless hope.

Wow.

Delight

What an absolute delight! To find someone who aches at a fundamental level, and say"There is a hope." To be able from long experience to communicate the fact that despair has been utterly defeated, and replaced with a limitless perfect love. This is what the Kingdom life is made of. God, I love this life of love and victory you have established here for your children.

"Please Sir, I want some more."

Nothing like a great worship song.

Give me love
Give me love
Give me peace on earth
Give me light
Give me life
Keep me free from birth
Give me hope
Help me cope, with this heavy load
Trying to, touch and reach you with,
heart and soul

OM M M M M M M M M M M M M M
M M M My Lord . . .

PLEASE take hold of my hand, that
I might understand you

Won't you please
Oh won't you

Give me love
Give me love
Give me peace on earth
Give me light
Give me life
Keep me free from birth
Give me hope
Help me cope, with this heavy load
Trying to, touch and reach you with,
heart and soul

OM M M M M M M M M M M M M M
M M M My Lord . . .

Won't you please
Oh won't you

Give me love
Give me love
Give me peace on earth
Give me light
Give me life
Keep me free from birth
Give me hope
Help me cope, with this heavy load
Trying to, touch and reach you with,
heart and soul
Give me love
Give me love
Give me peace on earth
Give me light
Give me life
Keep me, Keep me free from birth
Give me hope
Help me cope, with this heavy load
Trying to, touch and reach you with,
heart and soul

OM M M M M M M M M M M M M M
M M M My Lord . . .

George Harrison

I went adventuring with my King this weekend. I had two distinct opportunities to stay at home "on the porch" or go adventuring. In both instances, my soul said I should stay home, and my Lord said I should go out walking with Him.

Adventuring was better. And He kept me. So I am okay, and I am stretched by daring to trust Him. He said that He would never leave me nor forsake me.

Decisions of the magnitude made this weekend will never appear so big again. Now what will appear big, and will require leaning on the arm of my Beloved, will be the next arena for growth, and the next, and the next. Each marking parts of my life that I want to retain control of.

Father, I know there is a day coming when all of me is resting on and trusting all of You. I thank You for the promise of that day. In the meantime, thank you for each moments mercy, grace, favor, wisdom, patience, love, courage, and hope.

Fall Back

It is so easy to switch to "human doing" from "human being." It is the default response. I am refusing today.

See, I should be able to fix my world, right? Wrong. What I can effect is the small stuff. The significant stuff I can not touch. That is really frustrating if my default is doing in response to recognizing a need.

I stepped out of my world this morning and went to a new place, and met some new people. And recognized an ache too big for me to touch. And now I ache for them. Which is what I was made for.

Now I get to crawl back up on my Fathers lap and tell him about what I saw, heard and felt. I am so grateful for my Fathers lap. Otherwise I would just ache, and have no place to go, no one to tell about them.

Their situation is no different than anyone else's. They need to find their way home to Dad, and to the rest that being home provides.

It hurts so bad to know that there is not enough of me, that I am not able to humanly demonstrate to them that there is rest. Pride is screaming because there is a need that I was built to recognize and not be able to do anything about. If I could effect it, it would not be worth effecting. This is the place to get to in learning to pray. Where the only thing I can do is admit my powerlessness and trust my Higher Power. To say, "Daddy, they hurt so much for lacking Your Rest. They scrabble and howl and reach in the rut. Please have mercy on them. Continue to show them your loving kindness. Continue to send your light into their darkness."

It is going to be so cool to see the whole picture. Thanks for making me part of it.

201010252238

Third Spaces: Public places where people are welcome to come, stay and associate.

1st Space is Home, 2nd Space is work.

Third Spaces is one of those things I have been thinking about and others have been as well. I found that I have been carrying a list of local Third Spaces for months now.

Today I had and took the time to go and sit. It was good. I am going back.

Some body said that it takes about six months for a new believer to shift and no longer have any unsaved friends. So how does the Gospel spread if Christ filled people have no real relationships with people who need Christ?

Receive Love and give Love away. Purpose. Difficult to fulfill without real relationships with those lacking Love.

It was good. I am going back. Thank you, Father, for dreams.

This is definitely the place.

This is the place. This Wild Place where there is always hope.

Every day, walking through the world, the things that are evidence of the effects of the presence of Love stand out. He restores my soul. It is not finished, but I can tell that it is happening.

Buttons that were hardwired are disconnected. Buttons that caused major responses now produce small results. I am so loved.

There is hope. Hope for me. That means there is hope for everyone. I am not getting this right all of the time and every time. But I am getting this right more often, and I can see moments when I needed to control life being replaced by vulnerable flows of Love. He flows in and through my life, my relationships, not just me.

Father, thank you for your faithfulness. You are true to your word.

Hope Springs Eternal

Hope Springs. What a great place to get refreshed. I have yet to say that I am thirsty and not be guided to Hope.

The Wild of God is not a place with a Mc Donalds or a Starbucks on every corner. On purpose, there are no places of provision, refreshing, healing, strength here that are not God. I get taught here that I never lack for a place to turn, and that every place I turn can be trusted absolutely.

I needed simple wisdom for the last hour. No deep thing, but at the same time an opportunity for Godliness to be permitted to shine through me. Just a simple turn to the Spirit, and perfect answers come.

Living in the Spirit of God on purpose is going to produce fruit. Father, show me where my roots need to reach today.