The loss of my dad still hurts, especially when seasons change.  . For those who have lost a loved one, the aching still seems to pulsate through the cracks left upon our hearts.  . Seasonal change can breeze in bronzes of bereavement. It can fall with ambers of aches and molasses colored missing.  . For me, this is true about Autumn. The leaves change once again, and my dad’s memory wafts o’er red-roofed wishing wells. The shallow water collects pennies of “wish you were here” under Birch trees.  . Seasons and holidays blow in memories that patina the past.  . Those who have lost a parent, we think upon childhood memoirs. Instances where we held our mom or dad’s hands, while strolling under amber stained glass etched with maple leaves.  . I think upon harvest memories where the jack-o-lanterns flow, and the crockpot chili steams in bowls.  . My dad walks behind my brother and I as we prance towards candy. In seasonal memory “trick-or-treats” bounce of...

Eradication of the Woman . The biological woman is being eradicated second by second with secularistic folly. .  The woman is being black-washed with worldly paint that is stained with sinful strips of stupidity.  . The life of a woman is being subdued by subterranean slyness. In the tunnels of dark thoughts, biology is being hidden in the crevices of craftiness. God’s nature and order are being covered by demonic dirt.  . - Nature: God has given us fierce feminine genes that only the true woman can bare. A man cannot possess these genes with a fickle change of temporary thought.  - Order: Womanly empowerment does not embody a man. As the character, Eowyn, boldly hailed as she slayed evil in Tolkien’s, Lord of the Rings, “I am no man!” . No ladies, we are women…women of God! We are poised with difference and uniquely special. We are biologically beautiful, and men cannot “think” themselves into our territory of traits.  . In today’s lifeless and uncharted societ...

When we get up in the morning, I’m sure most of us pour a caffeinated cup of coffee. I’m sure most don’t pour a glass water for needed energy. . As Christians, do we reach for the Bible like our cup of coffee? Do we open its unwrinkled pages to refresh our souls with living water? Do we pour the red words into our hearts to retain energy? . In the early dewy mornings, when the sun tips the trees, we should grab a glass of “water” instead of dehydrating coffee that is brewed with lack of taste.  . The pure water will fill our spirit with a perpetual flow of clear certainty…we are pebbles in the river of life.   . Are we quenching for holy wholeness or are we pouring gritty sand into our cup?  . The grit fills us momentarily, but then, scratches and nicks the inside of our soul. It cuts us, leaving holes of discontent, unhappiness, and void.  . The false filler of the world hardens hearts. Souls search amongst the desert for fake water in a distant mirage. ...

If you want to start gossip, create cryptic and passive aggressive messages. . We’ve all seen messages on Facebook that are ambiguous and cause people to grasp their magnifying glass and mimic Sherlock Holmes. We all want to uncover the clues to this complexity. We dust for fingerprints, wondering who the culprit in the “Clue” envelope may be.  .  Creating coded messaging causes others and yourself to stumble. This is the start of the gossip granule. We spy 🕵🏻‍♀️ this minuscule message and think we have pin-pointed the perpetrator who, more than likely, is innocent.  . Therefore, “clue granules” are then mistakenly mounded into lies and deceit. Gossip is uncovered under the spyglass, rather than truth.  . “Eye spy” passive aggressive passages upon screens and in person.  . These classified convictions also create gossip, concealing trueness.  . Once again, others are intrigued and curious, picking up pipe and magnifying glass to crack the veiled vault....

When my blue eyes wash over your soul with freshwater, guide me down the river to a waterfall of righteousness. Let’s sit there upon a rock of peace.  . When my little hand clasps yours, take me to the land with prancing bunnies who cuddle in comfy dens. Lead me to berry meadows where unicorns with bold horns stand with certainty.  . We must lead our children with a boldness and certainty like a river that’s assured of it’s rippling route.  . We must guide our sons and daughters to the pool of freshwater where the Holy Spirit ripples with righteousness. Our children will look at their reflection and remember their spiritual identity amongst wise willows.  . Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. - James 1:23-24 . As parents, we need to be stable upon the rock of Christ. Stand with affirmation and ...

Don’t run the race alone. . Ready…set…go!  Gun pop!  . Keep running, don’t stop!  . I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 2 Timothy 4:7 . The Apostle Paul was a man laced up with endurance and perseverance. He never stopped running due to water bottles filled with faith.  . While running his race, he never forgot to grab  side-liners by their arms with his letters of encouragement. He lifted up the lost, and handed them sneakers to run their race with boldness.  .  Are we also including others in our racing lane? Grab others by their arms, and witness while running together.  . Are we placing sneakers before disoriented souls, so they can find God easily? Grab the hands of weary substitutes, and put them on the track to Heaven.  . Are we helping tie the shoe laces of the lost with the love of God? Tie the laces tightly, so fellow runners can eventually sprint with spiritual conf...

Are you making a fire to keep the wolves away from your children? . I remember watching an episode of Little House on the Prairie that entailed Charles building a fire to keep wolves away from his family snuggled inside their protected homestead. . It made me think, “Are we building raging fires of righteousness to keep the wolves away from our children?”  . The world is filling with dens of ravenous wolves preying on our children. They want snip at them with sinister thoughts. They want to howl throughout the halls of schools with deplorable deeds. Worldly wolves want to growl at our children with gruesome vulgarity.  . These beasts run throughout the suburban and city streets chasing after innocence and purity…thus, light that fire!  . Light a fire that fills the sky with holiness that burns the backs of these bastards.  . Light a fire that protects your children and their minds from snarling snouts that spew sin. . Build a bonfire that flames ...

Let’s get ready to rumble! Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. - 1 Timothy 6:12 Are you getting your pink or blue boxing gloves out everyday to fight your flesh? Are you pouncing in the corner of the worldly ring ready to K.O. Satan’s lies?  I feel like todays generation has set their gloves aside and spiders have covered them with their webs of laziness.  I feel like today’s generation has stopped practicing their punching combinations to knock out futile failure. They have stopped working out muscles that build faithful strength.  Ding, ding, ding! In one corner…Satan’s division. In the other corner…marriage.  Fight for your marriage! Don’t let pride pin you in the corner with defeat. I believe pride and miscommunication are major tactics in flattening marriage. Satan is the one that should be flattened as you and your spou...

As the sun snuggles up to the friendly daisies and covers under light lilies, my house is at peace with sunset rays. They seem to pray over our homey kitchen as I watch the day end in glory. . How is your day “setting”? . Was your day a collage of trials and sorrow? If so, settle into God like the sun settles into the earth.  . He is the one that can cradle you with comfort and strength. He will give you a refreshed spirit as He cleans your armor. As you dress yourself with the newly polished armor, the sunrise will reflect off of chrome that gleams with newfound strength.  . Did your day settle with strife? . When you get off your steed in the evening, guide him to waters that refresh not only his spirit, but yours. Sit beside the rock and sip living waters that will quench mind, soul, and a parched heart.  . Take time to rest your spirit as the sun sets into spirited fields of Sunflowers. Take in God’s breath and breathe out rejuvenation. Wrap yourself in the warmth of ...

A few days ago, my dog Tucker, kept getting himself caught and looped around our patio pole due to his lead.  I stood there and thought about bad habits as we try and live a Christian live. I dug up the lingering compost material of disobedience amongst our spirits.  We should be led by God. We should be directed by the Holy Spirit around patio poles, prickly weeds, snake dens, and ultimate destruction. Although, almost all Christians have a tendency to disobey and wrap ourselves around a  beam of backtracking and confusion.  As I looked at Tucker as he was standing there caught and taught by his lead, he looked worried and boggled with, “come and let me loose.” If we truly love and fear God, we will listen to Him and the leadership of the Holy Spirit. Jesus will loosen our constricting tie and we will live with intention free from burdensome bends and loopiness.  Even though the patio pole may look more stable and tangible, God’s ways are untied with joyous pea...

My morning and afternoon shattered like my mug filled with coffee.  Boom! Splatter! Crack! Whack to the spirit.  My morning started off in a chaotic cove that cracked and rushed with suffocating waves of “something going wrong after something going wrong”. I have to admit…A stressful scream echoed my house. Then, I sat and cried because of my inability in the maniac moments to keep calm. I cried because I did not want to make my baby girl anxious who is still packaged and pink-bowed inside me. I cried because I wanted to keep my composure for my dog, Tucker. I cried because I had a moment of brokenness like my “Coffee and Jesus” cup.  I felt defeated by sickness and stained coffee walls. Then, my husband called me and he said, “I felt the need to pray over you, Tucker, and our baby girl.” He told me to put the phone on speaker so our daughter could hear his voice. Well, I cried again…crystal tears of liberation and clarity.  The Holy Spirit lighted o...

As I drove home from my doctor’s appointment (baby check up 🙂), I looked at rows of trees and thought to myself…”Do I have ‘timber-top’ faith?”  Do we have a faith that reaches past the ground work of roots, and climbs up tenacity trunks, and tops the pinnacle pines?  Does our faith look past the rigid, hopeless bark and glance towards shining hope, “topping” the trees?  Do we waver with worry in the somber shadows under branches or is our mind filled with a “timber-top” faith? Do we think upon whatever is lovely, whatever is of good report? In doing so, we will think upon a faith that tops the Red Woods and cascades o’er a “timber-top” hope filled forest.  Don’t settle at the cold bottom of a tree. Don’t settle in muddy worry…climb unfathomable heights to reach a faith that peaks with sound glory!  #tree #trees #liveoak #liveoaks #faith #timber #faithoverfear #faithquotes #god #jesus #holyspirit #blogger #bloggerstyle #bloggersofinstagram #faithblogger #christ...

When my mom was a younger mom and some tense moments would arise, she would say, “I’m going to come unglued!” I’m sure whatever she was facing, was an “un-glue-able” feat.  My brother heard my mom say the historical line on occasion. When he was 4 years old, he replied with an innocence and a grand truth…”Mom, we’re not glued together. God made us with bone.” When we trust God fully, a fullness fills our bodies, casting solid and spiritual bone that is unbreakable. We are not just lightly glued together, melting at weak seams. We are purposely formed with God’s strength that thickens our inner core with fusionend faith.  When we ponder the plundering initiatives of this temporary world, it’s easy to become “unglued”. Although, if we look upward and onward towards God and Heavenly places, a soundness will fuse spiritual bone together, stabilizing bold steps of trust and faith. Within our spiritual bone flows a force that will not shatter and scatter upon fearful doubt. No, we a...

Sometimes my mind wanders to Heaven’s gate, ‘What’s the point? I just want to go home... Jesus, come back.” I look at the world around me and see such sinful destruction and people standing beneath loosened boulders, being crushed by unawareness.  The mountains around us are crumbling with ravenous rage. An evil dust plumes, suffocating unknowing lungs that are breathing in every word spoken to them from demons roaming streets.  The world is darkening with a calloused sun that once shone upon God and His righteousness. The sun dips lower with every hand upon the grandfather clock, bringing night into noonday. The devil whispers...open ears listen with inclusive and broad malignant thoughts...”Come, come fall with me into a pit that will rip your soul out.” Christians, we are fighting an invisible war, that needs to be recognized and fought with extremity. Pin the unseen enemy with ferocity...open the Bible as evil shakes with despair, share God in conversation as blackness fle...

My husband and I have been married for 2 years and 7 months.  I wouldn’t live this life with anyone else, because I know God affixed our soul-mated hearts.  I’ve noticed the naive notion, “A marriage certificate is just a piece of paper”. Ah, but tis’ a simpleton sample of scarcity in meaning.  Marriage is not just a piece of paper. It’s a spiritual document that binds two souls together. It’s commitment and dreams of two hearts that become one beat. That piece of paper is charcoaled with the artistry of rocks that intensify the life-trail.  That piece of paper is also drawn with peaceful lulls between dips and waterfalls.  That certificate is also colored with coffee that steams with conversation of God and life. Souls sip as time sits. Then, both look upon wrinkled faces with loving eyed embraces. The marriage certificate is strongly shaded with hardships, laughing bouts, passion, peace, cries, and a few shouts.  A marriage certificate is not just a piece...

My husband is working a night shift tonight and as I sit here in an empty living room, I think to myself, “What kind of legacy will I leave behind?” I have experienced major losses in my life. I lost my dad when I was 21, my first baby (miscarried), and now, my grandpa at 34. Each person I lost, left behind favored fruits from each of their ‘life trees’.  So, as the rain falls behind my shoulder and the thunder orchestrates music notes of a lightening ballad, I think about legacy. A good name is to be more desired than great wealth, Favor is better than silver and gold. - Proverbs 22:1 I’ve heard people say, “We shouldn’t care what others think,” but is that entirely true? King Solomon wrote otherwise. We are to walk a walk that ensembles godly characteristics. People will know us by our fruits. Are they watching a healthy and ornate orange tree blossom or a bug infested and rotting apple tree appear?  When we pass, will we pass by loved ones with a breeze of benevolence and b...

   We all experience trials that whisk in front of us like a tumbleweed that trips our balanced feet.  Will we crush, burn, and smoke out the tumble weed or will we let it roll by our feet until we pass away? God gives us the resources along the path to strengthen our enduring race. Water - God hands us living waters to rejuvenate our scorched spirit. He refreshes our morbid minds with water that livens hope. Shade - When we are being sunburnt by sadness, God shades us with cooling comfort. He provides a stump to sit upon and rest our heart and mind. Then, we can start running again, facing the tumbleweed in the road. Food - While running, God is on the sidelines, handing out food to feed the spirit. Your spirit is fed with faith to crush out tumbleweeds in your path.  God spreads out dirt upon our paths to stabilize our run. He packs it down, strengthening our stride.  He gives you the resources to face problems, bash and burn them out.  So, are you relyin...

  My husband got home from work late last night and we were both eager to take our usual run, to talk tenderly, and romantically reconnect.  While jogging under the foggy sky, it started to rain. We both got aggravated, because it upset our paved plan. But, I said, “Let’s keep going...” So, we kept running as the rain slowly stopped drizzling. The rain no longer lingered.  We completed our run and we felt like we won a marathon. If we took the initiative to press fervently forward everyday, God before us, He would cut the ribbon before we even get to the finish line. We’d cross our destined border with an abundance of aptitude.  If we trusted God with a very loose rope, we’d bust out of the corral that captives our mind with worrisome wonders.  God does not want us to give up with ease, because the repercussions will be hardened with depression, anxiety, and defeat. Run! Run boldly through the rain the rampaged rain! Keep going, keep pressing, and focus on God. ...

I’m learning as I get older, that you can’t make people happy. Only God can make people happy like the flowers upon my countertop that are color bursted with glee. I’m learning you can’t stop people from sinning...but, we can be disciples and pray. We can place caring carnations in a person’s vase, but it’s up to them to keep the vase filled with living waters.  I’m learning you can’t give people a picked flower, and expect them to find the joy within the simple beauty. Only God can give true joy that’s abundant like a bouquet ravished with red roses of true love. I’m learning you can’t save a person from misery. Only God can shine the sun upon shadows that darken Sunflowers, bringing glorious cheer to a home. I am learning...God gives bouquets of trueness and life and fills a person with joyous daisies 🌸  You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand. - Psalm 16:11 #flowers #flowers🌸 #flowersofin...

Is forgiveness just for our heart, but not the receiver’s heart? Shouldn’t forgiveness be brimmed with “love creamer” that stirs the other person’s spirit with God?  We are called to bestow grace. Shouldn’t that include a mug that steams with mercy? When you forgive, what is your ulterior motive? Is that motive served with “selfish sugar” or motivated by God’s love?  I’ve read the notion, “Forgiveness is for you...for your sake?” But, should it just be for you? Yes, the act releases you from anger, bitterness, and resentment, but shouldn’t another cup be filled?  When God forgives us, He does not withhold any extra “love whips” or “comfort cream”. He extends the handle of His cup with tenderness.  God does not forgive just for His pleasing, but to render a mug rimmed with grace. That grace then covers our hearts with dignity.  As we hand the cup of forgiveness to our debtor, make sure your mug is truly handled with sincerity like God’s.  ...