Move Along, Nothing to See Here

The blog has been been moved here to my new website. Click the link to see all the great new changes to everything.

Thank you for all your support and God bless!

A Season of Change

"A time to keep,
And a time to throw away;

A time to tear,
And a time to sew"

- Ecclesiastes 3:6-7

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 I am in a season of change. My website will very soon look completely different, and this blog will be integrated into that site. I'm beginning to remember why I don't like change! Migrating all the poetry is a big job.

I am not posting any poems on Twitter or Facebook this week. I want to get the migration done as quickly as possible and I have company coming in this weekend which is when I usually do all the scheduling for posts. 

Hopefully by this time next week, I'll have a new site for you to see! God bless!

Matthew 6:25-34

This section of the Sermon on the Mount has been on my mind and heart for several weeks now. Our family is in a season of struggles right now and God is teaching us to trust Him for everything we need. This is a huge stumbling block for me since I want to be in control of as many things as is possible. I like plans and schedules and definitive answers. Waiting is not my strong suit.

I haven't written a poem from this verse yet, but I am fairly sure that will happen soon. I am starting to think that the reason I haven't been able to take any of my older ideas and flesh them out is because I'm in a different place now. I have different emotions, different situations, and a different perspective. Now that's not to say I won't ever use them, just probably not right now.

I have been working this weekend on my new website, mostly a lot of data entry. It's going to be more work than either I or my webmaster thought, but it should be done soon. It's going to take some getting used to, but I have high hopes!

I am beefing up my Twitter postings to seven a day, seven days a week. I think that trying to reach as many people at as many different times as possible is an important thing. As vile as Twitter can be at times, it can be turned into a powerful tool for the Kingdom too. Keep your eyes open for all those posts!

On Tuesday, March 1st, I saw a Twitter post that there was an urgent message being presented to the IHOP staff, family and students. We were a little worried so we tuned into the live web feed and wow ... we were rocked. Here is an edited version. To get the full message, you can go here to the archive on www.ihop.org and scroll down to March 1, 2 PM. The message begins at about 1:23:00. Then you will need to click on March 1, 4 PM to access the second hour.

John Mulinde is from Uganda and he brings a powerful message from his past. It will bring new insight into many Scriptures and change your view of your life radically.

Well I am off to add more content to my new website. I pray blessings over you and that God would meet you in every moment of each day!

Icy Reception

Oh ... my ... goodness. What an insane week!

The last ten days or so have some of the most chaotic I've ever had. Financial stuff, house guest, family discontent, friends in crisis ... oh my. Now I sit in a house covered with ice and a huge tree limb out my back door. Don't believe me? Here's the proof.

We're not sure how long we'll have power once the 30+ MPH winds kick up either. So it's been an exciting day!

However, through it all, God has always come through for us. I've been working really hard on trusting God, no matter how bad things look, and it's brought a lot of peace to me. He has been good, even when we don't understand exactly why He's doing something.

Progress on the book continues and a revamp of my website should begin soon. My webmaster wants something more aesthetically pleasing and user friendly, so that's in the plans. I'm really looking forward to it.

Well I pray that you all are warm and safe. May His blessings rain down on you, even if some snow does too. God bless!

Glorious Return

"Glorious Return" expresses the world that we are living in, and the world we will be living in until Jesus comes back. There will be suffering and persecution, but we are to count ourselves blessed for those things. We are following in the footsteps of our Lord and Savior.

I am very pleased to report that I am still writing, despite a slow down, as I penned two new poems last week. One of them is for Christmas, so you won't see it for a bit. The other should be in the rotation before too long.

The interesting thing though is what happened when I went to write. Our daughter had a practice for the puppet ministry she is involved with, so I went to the library for some peace and quiet. I sat down and a little girl immediately sat down with me and began to talk to me. She asked what I was going to be doing, so I told her I was going to write. I explained that I write poems about God and Jesus, and we spoke for a while about Him and how she wanted to build a rocket to go see Him someday. I found out that she was 4 years old and it floored me. God had placed me there to witness to a 4 year old little girl before I wrote. If I hadn't gone with the flow of His Spirit, I wouldn't have been there.

I am making a slight change to how I post poems and blogs. My schedule has shifted a bit, so I am going to post them Tuesday through Saturday, giving me Monday to set everything up and take a bit of the pressure off my Sundays.

I hope you all have a blessed week and He shines the light of His face upon each and every moment. Come, Lord Jesus!

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I would appreciate it if you would fill out this short survey about various things surrounding my poetry - http://bit.ly/cOTyj4 ... Thanks!

Happy Birthday to me

I'm 32 today!

Yay ... I guess ...

Just kidding. Another year with God is a great thing!

Last year I wrote a poem for my birthday, somewhat chronicling where I was with my faith. As this birthday approached, I thought it might be interesting to do another one. So, I'm planning on trying to do this every year around my birthday.

This year's installment is called "Butterfly". It talks about my lifelong trek and where I am now, waiting to be robed in white with my Savior.

For now though, I will enjoy having my brother come into town and eating the best cupcakes I've ever had. If you're in Terre Haute, you really should try Caboodle Cupcakes! If you're not, then ... I am sorry.

Have a great weekend and let me know if you need some prayer! God bless!

My Beloved

I hope everybody had a great weekend, long or short!

My Beloved is one of my favorite poems that I have written lately. Getting more deeply involved with WVIHOP has brought me to much better understanding of the church, or believers, as the bride. The Song of Solomon has opened up to me with a second layer portraying Jesus as The Beloved and the church as the Shulamite. The love between them is pure and sweet, as the love between Christ and ourselves should be. I am somewhat impatiently awaiting the return of my Beloved, anxious to see His face and glory.

In case you missed the link on Twitter, there's a new video up on my YouTube Channel called "Night". You can find the poem here.

Have a blessed (hopefully short) work week, and if you need prayer for anything, feel free to get in touch with me!

Metamorphosis

"Metamorphosis" is a path that many people take to finding the Lord. At the end of their rope, they accept an invitation to church, or stumble in on their own, and start to hear about this thing called salvation. With a hunger in them that they can't explain, they listen and search and study, eventually accepting Christ into their life.

The key, though, is that they are not perfect once they get baptized or say a prayer. They still sin. They still mess up. They still do all those "bad" things. But Jesus still saves them. He died for us, "while we were still sinners". Everything rests on what Jesus did, not what we do.

I hope your week was a blessed one, but if not, I would be happy to pray for you. Get in touch with me and I will add you to my prayers. The link to my various social media outlets are on the right-hand side of the front page of the blog. You can also leave a comment below any of the posts here if you wish.

Have a great weekend everyone! God bless!

Chorus

There is a huge chasm in the church right now as denominations dig in and refuse to work together as "members of that one body". Congregations are shrinking and no one is willing to lose one more, even if that means being insular. "Chorus" speaks about what God sees when He looks down the church, and what should be happening within it.

I know that this may be controversial, but if you look through the Word the only thing Jesus is concerned with is our devotion to Him, our acceptance of Him, and our relationship with Him. Not what denomination we are, not the works we do, not the doctrine we follow. One bride. One church.

I pray that your week has started well, and continues to be so, every moment of every day. God bless and thank you for your support!

Beyond Comprehension

I don't remember exactly where the title came from, but I think when we take a moment to sit back and REALLY think about what Jesus did for us, we can all agree that it's beyond comprehension. I don't think any of us can fully understand how God, the God of the universe, could come down to Earth as an infant, and then work Himself, literally, to death, all for love. That is a love that is beyond any of us.

However, I tried to express some of that in "Beyond Comprehension". My gratitude, my utter lack of understanding, my love for Him. He reigns, now and forever.

New Psong

No, it's not a typo. That's really the title!

"New Psong" was written by taking lines from various Psalms (95, 96, 98, 100, or 101) and filling in between them with lines of my own. It's a lengthy poem but I love the picture of praise that it puts forth. I regularly read it at WVIHOP during our devotional set on Tuesday evenings because it fits so well with the thought of singing prayers and praying songs. And after all, God is so worthy!

So (hopefully) you noticed the huge change to the theme of the blog when you first arrived. I hope that you like the shift in style. I like the purple touches since much of my webpage is purple. The background is very soothing and unobtrusive, as well as showing off the Lord's Creation.

School starts again this week, which I am actually kind of happy about. I am hoping that soon we will settle into a really nice schedule that allows me to communicate more with all of you. I hate being out of touch.

So we shall see what the next month or so brings, and until Friday have a blessed week!

His Words

"Weary (Matt 11:28-30)" is the first poem in a series called "His Words". I am taking the words in red (Jesus' words) and using them actually within the poem itself as well as basing the poem on the Scripture in the titles. Be sure to keep your eyes out for them going forward as I sprinkle them in with the other new poems.

This is our ramp up week as we get ready to go back to homeschooling on Tuesday. School supplies, reformatting computers, forming curriculum ... that's this week. So, this is the only new poem this week, and I'll fill in on Twitter and Facebook with older ones you might have missed.

Have a great week and may God rain down his blessings on your life!

Stand

"Stand" came out of the lyrics to a Skillet song called "Awake and Alive". We are all going to have to take a stand someday. We will all face opposition from someone at some point over our faith, and we have to make a decision. Who will have our allegiance? Who will we choose? The answer has everlasting implications.

Don't forget that I would be happy to pray for anyone in need. Take advantage of one of the many ways to get ahold of me and I'll be glad to keep you in my prayers.

Have a great weekend everyone, and now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to a end of the school year party for my children! God bless!

Matchless

God is matchless and that is where "Matchless" began. I was sitting in my van, looking out at a patchwork sky of clouds and God rays, and I was overwhelmed with a feeling of awe. The God of everything was looking down at me and loving me like no one else ever could.

I pray that you had a blessed weekend, and that you feel His touch throughout this week!

Scarred

I don't know about you, but I'm covered with a lot of scars. A few of them are visible, physical scars, but most are within. Emotional, spiritual; those are much more prevalent.

"Scarred" is about some of those things. The scars we carry personally, and also the scars society has.

It's also about the scars that brought salvation. The only scars that matter now. All those other scars can be healed by His scars.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone, and God bless! See you next week!

Battleground

I pray that you all had a wonderfully blessed 4th of July weekend! And for those of you who are off of work again today, hooray!

Today's poem is called "Battleground". It speaks about the daily warfare that occurs within us as we choose between God's way and the way of the world. The outcome is ultimately up to us, moment by moment, decision by decision.

I'm going to be updating the look of this blog soon, although to be honest I'm not exactly sure what I'll be doing. I just know it's time for a change!

In case you were not around when the announcement came, my poetry now has its own YouTube Channel. There are currently two videos up, and I will try to add two per month from here on out. Please leave comments and let me know what you think of them!

Finally, about ten days ago I posted here letting you know I would be pleased to pray for anything that you needed. Just know that at anytime, that offer stands. Send me an e-mail, post in the comments, send me a message on Twitter or Facebook.

Have a blessed week everyone!

Back to Normal

Life is at last starting to slow down again!

On Tuesday, I posted Encounter, a poem about the first time I encountered the Holy Spirit. I was watching the KC-IHOP live feed of the IHOPU Student Awakening service. I'd been having a rough time with some things and I wrote some rather scathing things in my journal towards God. He answered rather quickly with a song, and then I was very literally overwhelmed by the Spirit, forced to my knees while my husband prayed over me.

Today brings Cloudy, my first poem of the spring. I just could not find any inspiration during the dark of winter, and this was my re-entry into writing. It also speaks to me about the darkness overtaking the world right now, and the renewal Christ will bring when He returns.

On a personal note, ten years ago today I was laboring away, awaiting the arrival of our first child. It's hard to believe, but today she turns ten, growing up every day. I wrote poems about each of my kids last year that you can see on my personal blog here, here, and here. Boy, has the time flown by.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone, and may God continue to bless you all!

Witness

A new poem! Gasp!

Witness is similar in style to At the Foot of the Cross as it gives differing viewpoints on the hours of Jesus' death. The cross was a huge focus for me at the time of both poems, stemming from my visions during meditation. It became very clear that He intended for me to write about the cross in many different ways.

I pray you all have a great weekend and I will be back with you next week! God bless!

Changes

Whew ... what a couple weeks! We've been busy and there's no sign of stopping!

Our family is getting ready to move at the end of this month, so things are starting to ramp up around here. I am going to do my very best to post poems, if not a blog post, every week. If don't, however, you'll know why.

In case you missed it, last week I posted a poem called Servant's Hands. It speaks of the different ways we can choose (or not) to serve our Lord, and what good our hands can do.

Today you'll be able to read At the Foot of the Cross. It's the first in a series of poems about the cross, borne out of visions I was having during meditation at the time. My husband and I would have about twenty minutes of meditation, and I was repeatedly shown the cross, in varying scenes, degrees of clarity and distances. It became very clear that was the place God wanted me to stay at the time.

Wednesday will be Crisscrossed. It speaks of the image of the cross splashed across our society today. It's intended to be a thought provoking piece, and could be a little controversial in its frankness.

Finally, on Friday, is Life of Choices. This one I worked on for a long time, completely re-writing it once. It is also intended to make you think and perhaps recenter yourself in your decision-making process.

This week's poems are somewhat challenging, but I think that's a good thing. As hard as it is (and as much as I dislike it most of the time) being challenged almost always brings me out better on the other end. It is a refining that God puts me through to make me more of what He wants. I hope that maybe a poem will strike you and start a process of refinement in you as well.

Thank you for your support on Twitter and Facebook and here on the blog. I really do appreciate it, and I hope I contribute something back to your lives with this poetry. I am here for my God first and then for other people. As the saying goes, "Love God and love people". I pray that I am doing a good job of that with my poetry. May God bless you always!

Lightbulb Preparation

This is going to be a crazy week!

Monday through Wednesday will be spent getting ready for my husband to be gone to work an Emmaus Walk Thursday through Sunday. This leaves me alone with three kids for four days! Oh boy.

This week brings you two poems, Lightbulb and Preparation (hence the blog post title). Lightbulb talks about those moments when everything just clicks for you. Preparation is about the coming kingdom and who is bringing it.

Thank you for your continuing support and I pray that my poetry is reaching out to you in a wonderful, spiritual way. God bless all and have a great week!