“… wrapped Him in swaddling clothes and laid Him in the dog bowl.”

What?! Oh wait. That’s not it. It was the cattle feeder. Hay trough aka manger. Ah yes. Now it makes sense.
Huh?
Where is the sense in that?
DearOne, just suppose … Perhaps Father God chose that cattle feeder as a symbol, a reminder- to show that only Christ will fill your hunger… my hunger … the hunger of all mankind.
Just maybe. Hmmm.
Lots of friends are hurting right now… Deaths in their families, illnesses, broken hearts.
Hunger only our Christ can fill.
Pray for it. Get still. Get quiet. Set your trouble out on your lap Sweetone, and let Father God begin to refill that hurting wound.
‘And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.’ (Luke 2:7 ESV)

The calling to serve others, to choose to participate in life, is not for the weak DearOne. It takes all the bits of courage you can muster. And, when all you can come up with is a tiny ounce of it, and choose to say “yes, Lord, I will serve You there”…your “Yes” triggers God Most High, THE Creator of the Universe to move on your behalf. Little ole you have the FULL attention of the Architect of all humanity. He orchestrates the events on earth and sets into motion events in the heavenlies to move on your behalf. Sweetheart, He won’t start a work in you then leave you hanging. There is so much more that is going on in your situation than your human mind can begin to imagine. The truth is, you may never know or understand why this happened, or why that happened until you cross over into eternity. But, He stays in control.
Beloved, do not take that lightly. No matter what the enemy does to try to stop you in your tracks, use it to fuel your passion for Christ. You are so much more than you think you are.

“This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For The Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9 NLT)

In every single exchange with a human,
you choose to
Build up a child of God Most High,
or
Tear down His child.
Today, with every soul you meet, which will you choose?
He would choose love.
And, it will please Him for the apple of His eye to do the same.

Think.
Be careful with words.
Use tone of voice wisely.
Love your people.

“So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” (John 13:34, 35 NLT)

When God moves on our behalf, very often it is in a way our little human minds could never imagine. God loves impossible situations. He does miracle work there. Impossible miracles.
Sometimes…. sometimes the miracles move slower than we want. Then, one day, looking back at His miracle’s progress – we see that His timing was perfect and necessary for our chains to fall off. It was necessary.
You are His signature project DearOne. His ways are right. And they will blow your mind when your heart is set on Him. Pray Sweetheart. Keep praying.

‘So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church. Now when Herod was about to bring him out, on that very night, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries before the door were guarding the prison. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood next to him, and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him, saying, “Get up quickly.” And the chains fell off his hands.’ (Acts 12:5-7 ESV)

Monday morning! Glory! Be ready Sweetheart, be ready for the gifts that come today that you did not plan for. Too many times we get so caught up in dread in the day, that we miss God’s brilliance in our moments. There is not enough cyberspace in the universe to record the endless interplay of good gifts from Father God as hearts begin celebrating the birth of the ChristChild: sun and lights and puppies and friends and family and ducks and windows. Ever-shifting blessings from moment to moment … sparking discovery of the unique being He created in you.
When your heart grows heavy with dread in the mundane of your Monday Dearheart, choose to shift focus. Share Him. Tweet about Him. Write about Him. Smile for Him.

‘Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift.’ (2 Corinthians 9:15 HCSB)

I just love goosebumps!

What if our physical bodies did not have the ability to heal. What if every bruise since learning to walk stayed with us. Bicycle wreck scrapes, locker room black eye, oven burn from hot pan, sports injuries, broken bones, car wrecks, war wounds, oozing infections. Gross. We’d be a mess – a painful, stinking mess.
We take it for granted that our bodies will heal from our daily living abuse. And, much of the time, the healing miracles happen, and we do.
We have the same miracle source to tap into to heal our mind, mood, and attitude DearHeart. One of my favorite lines from a song right now is “when the hurt and the Healer collide”. Just as He can bring one back to life from their death bed, He has provided means to bring your lifeless and troubled heart back to full throttle. Pray for it SweetSoul. Pray that whatever hurt you hold will collide with your Healer, and He will work with you to turn your pain into your deliverance.
‘But Jesus rebuked him and said, “Be quiet, and come out of him! ” And the unclean spirit convulsed him, shouted with a loud voice, and came out of him. (Mark 1:25, 26 HCSB)But Jesus rebuked him and said, “Be quiet, and come out of him! ” And the unclean spirit convulsed him, shouted with a loud voice, and came out of him.’ (Mark 1:25, 26 HCSB)

The secret weapon to growing love is forgiveness. Once you decide to give it to another soul, a hole opens up and love pours out and pours in all at the same time. There is no way to explain the transfer. No way to understand the transforming work.
From the very old to the very young, The Almighty remakes us with each time we take heart-action to forgive. There are those that we are forced to love at a distance – even there, forgiveness grows love.
Lives practicing forgiveness, families choosing to exchange past hurt for a fresh love: phenomenal!
‘Then Peter came to him and asked, “Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?” “No, not seven times,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven!’ (Matthew 18:21, 22 NLT)

Time together with those we love is a gift. Not only a gift to receive, but also a gift to give! That’s right, YOUR presence is a gift.
It is the same with Father God. Not only do we receive from His unending supply, but time – your time – is both a gift and an offering to Him.
The Almighty simply craves your presence.

‘God knows how much I love you and long for you with the tender compassion of Christ Jesus. I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding.’ (Philippians 1:8, 9 NLT)

We are part of an ancient tradition. Giving thanks. I love it that it is not called “Thanks-taking” or “Thankskeeping”.
Thanksgiving.
There is an attitude that is given to us by the Holy of Holies. He provides. And, we say, ‘awe yes, Lord-Thank you’.
And, when we do, we stay intimately connected to those who patiently worked the ground before us, and to those that will follow for whom we are seeding the way.
Ancient tradition.

‘David appointed some of the Levites to be ministers before the ark of the Lord , to celebrate the Lord God of Israel, and to give thanks and praise to Him.’ (1 Chronicles 16:4 HCSB)

Its a lot like dropping a marble in a glass of water – my quiet time and me. My thoughts drop right into my heart where I settle in,
past the family thoughts,
past the workday thoughts,
past the world crisis thoughts,
peel, peel away until it is just Father God and me.
When I settle in there, His presence that is taken for granted during the hours, soaks in heavy and real. The self made walls around my heart dissolve to nothingness. His Word, the Holy Bible lays claim.
It is here, that I read and He speaks.
He prepares.
He tames.
He fills.
He reminds me to touch.
Reminds me to feel the air as I breathe.
Lets me feel the pages on my fingers and the quilt on my lap.
He tells me again Who He is. And, that I am His.
Through Him, I love.
There is nothing else like it.
I must enter in with Him before I can enter this day at all.

‘But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.’ (Matthew 6:6 ESV)