The Savage Five

I love the ocean.  Everything about it fills me with awe and wonder.  I was born in California and I can remember running on the beach at a very young age. We have been on the coast visiting family this week and have been able to go to the  beach.  I love to smell the salty air, listen to the waves hit the sand, and I love the warm sand and warmth of the sun on my skin. As I listen to the roar of the waves I think about the voice of the Lord. Psalm 29:3 The voice of the LORD is over the waters, the God of glory thunders,  the LORD, over many waters.  The voice of the LORD is powerful;  the voice of the LORD is full of majesty. Ezekiel describes the glory of the Lord as it fills the temple: And behold, the glory of the God of Israel was coming from the east.  And the sound of his coming was like the sound of many waters, and the earth shone with his glory. John describes the voice of the Lord in Revelation 1:12-15 Then I ...

I woke this morning from an encouraging dream.  In the dream I was sitting at a round table with my sisters in Christ.  We were sharing things from our hearts and patiently listening to one another's stories of our day to day lives. I was greatly encouraged in my dream and as my turn arrived to share, I began to weep uncontrollably as I shared with my friends that I had been able to preach the gospel to my father. When I awoke, I realized that everything in the dream was true to life!   I know why I was weeping in the dream, because even now as I try to write this testimony down my heart is filled with great joy!  Overwhelmed by the opportunity God has given me! I remember, as if it was yesterday, the day that my Daddy told me he was leaving.   I was three years old and as I stood there, hyperventilating as I cried, my dad told me to stop crying.  I was devastated.  As a  little girl I would dream that one day my parents would remarry. ...

This great rock embedded in the ground, firmly fixed and immovable reminds me of our rock, Jesus Christ. Psalm 18 is one of my favorite songs as it paints a picture of the lengths to which God went through to save His own. I love you, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and  my deliverer,  my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,  my shield, and the horn of my salvation,  my stronghold. He is our firm foundation.  He is the rock of our salvation.  He is strong, firm and unshakable.  He is who we are to build our lives on.  The church is dependent on Him. Colossians 1:18 And He is the head of the body, the church. In Matthew 16:18 He declared that Peter was the rock on which he would build the church and the gates of hell would not prevail against it. An organism called a lichen uses rocks as a substrate.  Lichens need the right components to grow.  The main requirement is that the substrate ...

As I walked to the restroom this morning I found myself plagued with thoughts about a dear friend of mine of the past.   I recalled how God moved powerfully to bring her and her husband back together when there 10-year-old son began to pray. This little boy had cried out to God and He had answered his prayer powerfully within a week’s time.   His parents had been separated for 3 years and both had succumbed to extramarital affairs. In the weeks following, God healed their relationship in a mighty way and healed his Dad of skin cancer as well as provided for a variety of their immediate needs. The mother and children had started to come to church prior to God moving.   The mother had been hopeless that she would ever reconcile with her husband but during that time her son was radically saved. He began to witness to the kids in his elementary school and would write the name of Jesus on his arms.   He was well received by some but many of the kids made...

Pain can have such a debilitating effect.  I woke up this morning in the beauty and majesty of a Massachusetts's state park excited to meet with the Lord and I was met with a fierce wall of pain. I had a margarine that was so severe that I felt as if I would throw up if I moved. I tried to sit and take in the beauty all around me but only found myself able to cry to the Lord for relief.  I was unable to read my Bible, unable to sit in silence and meet with the Creator in the refreshing way that I had longed for since we had begun preparing for our journey. I was reminded of my dear friend who has been fighting cancer and how she has faced debilitating pain every day for an extended period of time.  She has been unable to manage her pain and I wondered how that has the ability to effect her time with the Lord. We have prayed and asked the Lord to heal her and we have prayed for relief from this consuming pain that she faces each day but He seems to be unresponsive....

Tomato plants require pruning if the gardener wants them to have larger fruit and a stronger plant. Suckers form in the crotch between a stem and a branch of the tomato plant.  These mini plants, if left to grow, will grow into their own entities, producing many more branches and fruit. It sounds like that is what you would want right?  more growth and more fruit?  The problem with allowing the suckers to grow is that energy goes into creating those cute little leaves into energy sucks.   Even though there may be more fruit produced, the overall fruit will be smaller. As with extraneous things in our lives. Often times we are involved in activities and relationships that seem to be growing and producing something but through closer inspection and prayer, we come to realize that at times these things can divide our energy and efforts and diminish the production of good, hearty, sizable eternal fruit. There are several benefits to pruning these suck...

I purchased an heirloom pepper plant from the farmer's market in the spring and I was delighted when it started to bloom and produce fruit because it seemed to be happening quicker than usual. I absolutely adore watching fruit develop.  It is one of the most precious things to me as I tend my garden.  I look forward to what each day holds for my plants as they slowly produce the fruit of their labor from the energy of the sun and my deliberate care and attention. As I observed this particular pepper plant, I was astonished that it seemed to be maturing without really growing in size. It's growth seemed to be stunted but it turned a deep dark purple giving the illusion that it was going through the necessary process to become mature. Within days I went ahead and picked it because I could tell that it would not grow to full maturity. It reminded me of how, at times, Christians seem to be mature in Christ.  They go to church, they know what to say to other Christi...