‘Now this is what the Lord says — the One who created you, Jacob, and the One who formed you, Israel — “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine.’ (Isaiah 43:1 HCSB)

There is no way around it. We must come face to face with truth and with the fears that scare us most -whether we want to or not. For many it is easier to grow more and more tangled up in the web of bitterness and keep lashing out lies and hurt at others than it is to wrestle through our fears.

Once the source of fear is known we are no longer bumbling along, fishing for fantasies. We are made wise. And, we take on a new birth into deeper relationship…with God Most High, and with others.

Knowing Who we belong to is the beginning of real life and real relationship. Without that we barely ever scratch the surface of our passion.

Do you know the One that calls you Mine? Are you listening when He calls you by name? What are you doing with that?

‘Then the Lord spoke to Job out of the storm:’ (Job 38:1 NIV)

Good morning Sweetheart!
Out of the storm …
Out of the crisis …
Out of the empty place …
Many of us would like our days to camp out at the highest high forever. With all of our cells standing on end all day and all night.
Not possible.
That would be living in a drug addict’s world – living like one whose brain is fried. To stay in that state for very long robs us of something far deeper Beloved.
It robs one of the ability to live the natural seasons of life. Without the practice to trust Father God in our walks through the land of the dead, we will never reach His best for us. Our work will never be complete if we don’t “have-to” trust Him in the process – something will always be missing, trust and truth will never be whole.
DearOne, God has designed love to grow. He designed love to become love when we give it our nod – invite it to sit at the table with us on the most simple and the most stormy-complicated days and nights.
Nod. Grow in the storm.
-Angie

‘For me, living is Christ and dying is gain.’ (Philippians 1:21 HCSB)

Good morning Precious Soul!
A friend and I shared these thoughts y’day. You might gain from it too … its a little random, and not too polished, but I think you’ll get the drift …

Ok. Well. I’ve been thinking about how there are
life-death-life cycles with every part of life, not just … Life.
Especially with relationships.
And how the ones that mean the most – the ones with the greatest rewards, deepest ties – are the ones that
ebb and flow,
begin-end-begin again,
life-death-life,
over and over, yet remain and grow through each cycle rather than ditch it and go on down the road. Think about it.
Friendships.
Brothers.
Marriages,
life-death-life,
life-death-life,
life-death-life,
gain-loss-gain.
Father God created each increasing cycle to make us stronger, to turn the sugary cotton candy strands into real unbreakable twisted-iron bonds.
Man says toss each other away at the slightest slight – take care of you. God says, “stay the course”. He has greater victory ahead.
-Angie

‘Don’t be deceived: God is not mocked. For whatever a man sows he will also reap, because the one who sows to his flesh will reap corruption from the flesh, but the one who sows to the Spirit will reap eternal life from the Spirit.’ (Galatians 6:7, 8 HCSB)

Good morning Faith Warrior!
You and I are challenged by our failings. We are challenged by our fortunes. And, we are marked. Stamped as believers. Life in Christ, marks us as belonging to a force far greater, and once marked, life is forever changed.
There is a place where what is purely spirit meets with what is purely human – the place our soul makes a choice. Choices sway the outcome …
Just give me Jesus.

‘Come to terms with God and be at peace; in this way good will come to you. When you make a decision, it will be carried out, and light will shine on your ways.’ (Job 22:21, 28 HCSB)

Good morning Beloved One!
Everything begins at the point of desperation. Think about every blessing in your life – changes seldom come unwrapped without packages of drama. It is there, at that point of being backed up to the edge of the cliff – hungry thoughts with slobbering sharp teeth pressure and pressure and push you to the very edge.
It is amazing how grace works for those cliffhangers who choose to take the hand of God Most High. Those who have become
corrupt,
undernourished,
assaulted,
even destroyed-
the Almighty creates in them a return in fresh and unusual ways.
Do you need to grab on today?

‘I will declare wise sayings; I will speak mysteries from the past — things we have heard and known and that our fathers have passed down to us. We must not hide them from their children, but must tell a future generation the praises of the Lord , His might, and the wonderful works He has performed.’ (Psalms 78:2-4 HCSB)

Families, bloodlines – fascinating … I’d like to know the story of how my maiden name came to be assigned to my people, ‘Coon’. Maybe the men were fresh from a hunt. Maybe, he had been in a fight and had 2 black eyes!
Ours is indeed dotted with horse thieves and moon-shiners along the way. Their life lessons blended in with the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Those who have fed into me one on one, who have rocked me, held me, and swatted me have been a peaceful one, a jolly one, a high maintenance one (!whew!), a wise one, a giving one, and an adventurous one. I am blended by marriage to a nurturing one, an assertive one, and a protector one.
My brothers and I, and now our children are carriers and shelters of our family tales and traditions. It has been intriguing, to have been fed by God’s chosen ones. How He has revealed Himself through their lives. Each spirit, delivering a life story that tells of confusion, clarity, injury, healing … above all, each has been a story of courage and bravery – souls that continue to teach through the God-given theme of their stories.

Name your people today. Describe them in one word. Be blessed in how Father God has grown you through the ancient stories of their lives.
-Angie

Good morning RadiantOne!

‘Haven’t I commanded you: be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9 HCSB)
To hold back a river and just let a little bit of the once dashing and sparkling water through to a lake, only letting just a drip of water across the spillway; that is not a real river.
Beloved, it’s the same with real life. When the True Spirit is blocked, our God-given native power and sensibilities are blank– our parts that carry insight that far outshines the dullness of a hum-drum life, useless.
Where are you when you are enlivened? What are you doing when you lose all track of time and space and feel a magnet pulling your skills and luring success to the surface? Dearheart, that is where your gifts lie. Follow the call of the Holy Spirit.
Give Him all you’ve got – He will supply the rest. Surrender.
Think about it.

‘Teach me to do Your will,
for You are my God;
may Your good Spirit lead me on level ground.’
Psalm 143:10

Unpredictable days.
Two matters above all are certain …
struggle on our journey is a given; but there will be splendor.
Fear says:
“what if I fail?”
“what if I die?”
“what if I am defeated?”
And, the enormous Brute Force that guides, rather than being hardened and distant, replies, “My child. Do not cry. Do not grieve. I am here. Do not be afraid.”
Encouragement.
Compassion.
Guidance.
Father God is listening for your plea. Ask Him for help.

January 13, 2013 rigged up

‘My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, listening closely to wisdom and directing your heart to understanding; furthermore, if you call out to insight and lift your voice to understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it like hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and discover the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.’ (Proverbs 2:1-6 HCSB)

Uncertain.
Timid.
Jaded.
Hesitant.
Postpone.
Dawdle.
Fake.
Foolish.
…. Wise.
Since Adam and Eve humans have dragged, crawled, and danced into soul-life with Father God. DearHeart, even when your will and understanding wavers, the creative gifts to follow God Most High as we learn this life are fully present.
We may be unprepared for the turn ahead, but we are never unrigged – we were birthed with full wherewithal to look for Him and long for Him and find Him all of the days of our life …If you so choose.
How will you use your free-will?

‘I pray that you, being rooted and firmly established in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the length and width, height and depth of God’s love,’ (Ephesians 3:17, 18 HCSB)

Our work here follows the wisdom of those whose bloodlines were also seekers. The more we find, the more we learn … rumbling fire through our veins to learn more of the ways of God Most High.
Those we know as wise ones in our lives were once beginners, too. Each a newby…one who chose to be opened up to become a spiritual vessel. Heart opened. Mind opened. God of the Angel Armies poured into them, so they could be used up for the intense awe and wonder of the Holy Spirit.
We grow from ongoing perils.
We lose our way.
Refuse the first call.
We think it is one thing, when it is actually quite another.
We tangle with a choice of great magnitude.
We come face to face with the scary terrible.
Struggling through, we gain vision.
The Holy Spirit reaches in to walk us into a new frontier. And, the timeless time of The Divine draws down. The intent and contents of our soul crackle … and breathe new eyes into a held heart.
Glory!