Grateful Acres

He bumps his boundaries with a battering ram. Each pound is harder, but the boundary remains steadfast, inflicting all the damage of each collision onto him. Abrasions and scrapes become deep bruises and breaks. He bumps the boundaries no matter the pain because he is looking for the edge of his domain. He is looking for freedom and safety, purpose and his name. Her little eyes squeeze tight, and that sweet little mouth hangs open in sobs. She lets her lower half limp and drag, lowering herself to the nearest solid surface. Emotion springs from a tiny prick, cracking and shattering her little vessel with explosions of unnecessary pain. She can't see beyond her tears, so the whole world feels temporarily sour. She, too, needs safety, warmth, embrace. The front door opens, and someone very special walks in. There is no need to call for them- everyone knows. They drop everything, jump down from their places and run! His embrace fits them all at once, sweaty, messy, mop-top and a...

I searched and searched and I simply cannot find in photo form what I saw. This is the closest. The floor was clean and smooth, and indescribably shiny. I was wearing white, and I couldn't see Him, but He was there right before me. He offered his arms and I accepted. The muscles in my back still felt the tightness of holding a sleeping baby, and she wiggled and smashed her nose into my chest. My six year old's feet swung and kicked the chair next to me in time with the music. Every thing and every one else faded and we were all that was left, and that shiny floor. He swept me gracefully, smoothly around in a fairytale dance, singing love over me. My body just rested and breathed, and  I heard only His  voice, echoing deeply through the open room.  I experienced a strange overlap of the spiritual and physical for just a short time during church this morning, and it was beautiful.  The spiritual is just as real as the physical, and I feel MORE alive w...

Time for a family update! Something rather unusual happened this morning. I woke up before anyone else (baby went back to sleep after her early-morning feeding, and I stayed awake), and after I stumbled around our semi-dark kitchen for awhile preparing my coffee, Jonathan came downstairs. The sunrise was beautiful and pink, and it was such a rarity to have Jonathan wake up first. Normally Henry is the first one up, and he's been gifted with lots of volume, so most mornings he wakes up J and almost everyone else :) Sissy often manages to sleep through the commotion of two not-so-little boys starting their day, and likes to lay in her bed and talk to herself, snuggle her zebra, and I think enjoy the only portion of her day that will be quiet and alone. Jonathan and I snuggled up onto the couch for a few quiet minutes. His body is so big now- his head comes up past my shoulder, and his feet stretch down next to mine. His hands are getting rougher, and his arms and legs have young ...

I've been working on allowing God to walk the dusty corners of my heart- places that have seemed foundational, and therefore needed to stay unchanged so that the structure of my heart wouldn't be threatened. As God gently earns more and more of my trust, I allow Him into those places because I trust that the changes He makes will not crush me. I trust that as he walks my dusty corners He will pull aside heavy drapes, flooding sunlight through windows I did not know were there. It becomes a beautiful experience, full of discovery and fresh freedom and light. Somewhere along the line I disconnected between head and heart that God is very, very wealthy. I felt stuck in my humanity, limited by what I, as a human, am capable of. I could only earn as much money as the amount of work I did, I could only reach as many people as I "witnessed" to, I would only be good at something if I put in hard, hard practice hours. Self control became not a fruit of the SPIRIT, but a ...

At church today we were asked to evaluate our hearts, looking specifically for places where we limit God.  A child of mine looked up at me and said rather frankly, "Mom, I don't get this whole thing."  I started to explain, hoping to spark something new in him, and assuming he meant that he didn't understand what we were doing. His deep, deep eyes looked into me and he spoke frankly again:  "Mom, I believe God can do anything ALL THE TIME. I don't understand why adults forget that sometimes. It seems silly, like kids should be the ones that forget, but it's actually the adults that forget. Maybe that's why God calls us His children..." BOOM. Matthew 19:14 Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." When Jesus said that, he meant it physically. There were crowds of people, and often the kids wanted to swarm him. His adult followers tried to kee...

I've been watching as the ranks begin to march in step. Officers arrange their troops, each soldier one by one stepping into their power and authority. The ranks are advancing, the Kingdom is advancing, and I feel the intensity beginning to build. Many things in life come full circle, and thousands of years later I believe the church is moving it's way back around to how it all began... raw, real, unpolished people banding together to relentlessly, wholeheartedly turn the world upside down to match Heaven. One of the anointed and willing stepped to the front and spoke passionate words calling out what he called "unconventional weapons of love". I have a few of those, and I'd love to share. Ephesians 6:12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. That being said: Shame is not as heavy as we think...

WORSHIP while you wait. If unity of vision is what you desire, you must be willing to lay some things down for awhile. Look for the Creator where you are, and you will find Him. WORSHIP while you pray. My sin, not in part, but the whole- is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more! If God can forgive past sins, He can redeem wasted time (He is outside of time!) and missed opportunities, and He can excel stunted growth. You do not have because you do not ask. The enemy comes to steal, kill, and destroy- ask for the stolen to be redeemed, death to be overwhelmed with life, and all destruction to be mightily restored! Don't live a defeated life. WORSHIP while you watch Him at work. Be still, my soul, the Lord is on thy side... Then sings my soul, my Savior, God, to Thee- how great Thou art, how GREAT Thou art! What a mighty God we serve.