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 ...

My heart has been taking quite the beating lately... it's been a mixture of leaning in to the hard (normal) things of life (discipline, and finances : P ), hurting deeply alongside people I love, and working through human, messy relationships. The vast majority of my prayers have been asking for truth. It's so easy to get lost in life, and lose sight of who God made me to be, and even to lose sight of who HE is! With each breath I've been asking, "Show me truth, Lord, and remind me of who I am to You..." His answer to me has been woven into my thoughts in my time alone with Him, and has been reinforced by words of truth spoken by others that love Him. He has answered me, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." (Hebrews 13:8) and "You have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire; to darkness, gloom and storm... But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the li...

Woah, it's been more than a month since my last post! I've been feeling the itch to write, but my heart (and hands!) have been busy with my children, my husband, embarking into new ministries, and my walk with my Creator has been brewing all the while...  Tonight I feel like the things God has been brewing are steeped enough to put into words ;) A dear friend of mine recently wrote about the tangled thoughts whirring in her mind and heart, and her words rung true with what I've been learning. Often I feel a bit up-to-my-neck in life... sometimes when I'm in the thick of it (which happens a lot, owning a business and having 3 children under 5 ;), the enemy tries to whisper lies to me. He tells me that I'm not capable, that it will always be this hard, he shows me each failure, each corner cut, and tells me of looming, dark clouds that just might be in the future... But here is the truth: God does not see us as a list of failures. The Bible tells us that He se...

A couple Sundays ago I sat by myself in church again. Little Roo snuggled into my arms, wide awake and vibrant! My handsome husband was up leading worship, and as his gentle voice rang out to our Creator, my heart began to search for God's. A few weeks ago I asked God to tell me that He loved me, and much to my enjoyment- He did! The response was immediate, before I finished thinking my thought... Psalm 139: 1 O L ORD , You have searched me and known me. 2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You understand my thought from afar. 3 You scrutinize my path and my lying down, And are intimately acquainted with all my ways. 4 Even before there is a word on my tongue, Behold, O L ORD , You know it all. 5 You have enclosed me behind and before, And laid Your hand upon me... The rest of that Psalm is equally as beautiful. I sat still for a moment, pondering how I could have known of God my whole life have it not be until that moment that I heard Him spea...