Grateful Acres

When Jesus was living on earth He said, " The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." ( John 10:10 ) As my eyes are more and more opened to the raging battle around us, I see the enemy at work. Tonight I am angry, as I see him "steal, kill and destroy."  I see him fanning a culture that is saturated in sexuality, twisting something beautiful into one of his most powerful weapons. He slashes at men in their core with a booming porn industry, taking them out at their roots, in secret, replacing what should be BEAUTY with SHAME. A man that carries shame cannot flourish and thrive, cannot rise up to lead the way he was created to. His hidden shame eats away at his inside, and bleeds cancerous destruction on his family. When the captain of a ship is not manning his post, the whole ship veers off course. Women either become objects in this wave of destruction, or they try to take the ship's he...

A couple days ago Jonathan approached me in the kitchen. He came to me with a question about a photo on the cover of an issue of "World Magazine" we had sitting around. The photo was of a soldier whose leg had been so badly wounded in the war that it required a prosthetic replacement. Jonathan was intrigued by it, and his questions sparked an entire conversation that will alter the course of our family. He and I (with Henry listening in) talked about soldiers, world war, etc, with his interest deepening by the second. At one point he asked me if soldiers die. "Yes", I replied, "Which is why we should always say 'Thank You' to soldiers when we see them. They are willing to die to protect us, and willing to fight so that OUR Daddy can be home with us." Then he asked me if the soldiers that die go to heaven. We talked through the connection between giving our lives to Jesus and going to heaven. At this point Henry piped in that HE loved Jesus and ...

I don't know that I'm ready to try to explain the season I have entered spiritually to you all, because I don't fully understand it myself. Honestly I'm more than a little bit nervous about it. I have been timidly asking God to push me a bit beyond my comfort zone for awhile now, and BOY HAS HE ANSWERED. I don't want to become one of those people that is written off as having fallen off the deep end- I want to be logical, loving, gentle, and only outspoken when I have to be ;) I have been aware of the reality of both dark and light spiritual forces my whole life. My dad read aloud "This Present Darkness", and "Piercing the Darkness" by Frank Perretti when I was a kid (GO READ THEM!!). Those books gave a mental picture to the spiritual battle I knew was raging silently and invisibly around us.  Ephesians 6:12 (NIV) For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this ...

 I was mopping today, and this Hymn overwhelmed my heart. Under the table my mop slashed back and forth, around each couch and rug, as my heart and my voice rang louder. Soon my hands let go of the handle and rose toward my Faithful God- forget mopping, HE wanted my attention! Short snippets of past seasons raced before me as He whispered His faithfulness in each one. I see it, and it is astounding. With intricate, intentional detail, He has been faithful to me. Faithful in His promise to never leave, faithful in keeping the enemy from snatching me out of His hand, faithful in grace for my shortcomings, and faithful in whispering His love.  He sent me to parents that would introduce me to Him. He planned brothers and a sister. He sent my husband to the parents he needed to raise him in preparation for me. When I explored the outdoors in my childhood, He was there. When I fearlessly sang to Him alone in my barn, He heard me. When I cried bitter tears of a lonely ...