Morning Manna

"Surely He has borne our griefs (sicknesses, weaknesses, and distresses) and carried our sorrows and pains [of punishment]...He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our guilt and iniquities; the chastisement [needful to obtain] peace and well-being for us was upon Him, and with the stripes [that wounded] Him we are healed and made whole." -- Isaiah 53:4-5 AMP

Abba, You know how I have felt the past few days. I am weary and in need of Your Touch. Jesus, thank You for Your Broken Body that was wounded for my healing. Thank You for Your Precious Blood that was shed for my wholeness.

You are aware of the triggers from my childhood and I need Your Strength.

Morning Manna

"I am my Beloved's, and His desire is toward me."-- Song of Solomon 7:10 KJV

Abba, the feminine heart is deeply connected to Jesus. He welcomes the yearnings and longings of my heart. Like a bridegroom, His eyes glisten when He looks at me. It truly was Love at first sight.

Come away with Me, my love...is His whisper. Oh that I would respond in delight! Oh that I would believe in my feminine heart that He desires me...me.

Sweep me off of my feet, Jesus. Love me to freedom in You.

I am Captivating.

Morning Manna

"Even if it was written in Scripture long ago, you can be sure it's written for us. God wants the combination of his steady, constant calling and warm, personal counsel in Scripture to come to characterize us, keeping us alert for whatever he will do next." -- Romans 15:4 MSG

Abba, Your Word is a comfort to me. I see where You have brought Your Servants through the waters and the fires, yet they did not drown nor were they burnt. Your Word gives me Hope in the thick of things. Your Word gives me handles and hooks to keep me from falling.

Your Story in me is very personal. You invite me to walk with You on the journey. You invite me into an intimate knowing of Your Heart for me, my husband, and my daughters. I need only call and You will answer.

In time, the threads of my story will form a beautiful tapestry.

Rebekah, A God-Moment For Sure!

Rebekah.

I arrived at the Y yesterday afternoon perplexed. I needed answers and my prayers felt like they were trapped in the ceiling. I was frustrated and at the point of self-inflicted despair.


I found myself in the bathroom stall praying, "God, please, I'm dense! Please make Your answer obvious. I can't hear You! Just say something! Do you hear me? Don't You care?"


So, I walked out of the bathroom and peaked into the exercise room across the walkway. The light was off, the air conditioner was at a low hum - peace and quiet, so I thought. As I entered the room, I noticed a women setting up a stretching area for herself. She was neatly covering her yoga mat with a towel, all at the same time glowing a humble smile. Intrigued by her gracious manner, I return her smile with a smirk. I really tried to smile back, but I just couldn't.

Noticing my crinkled brow and empathizing with my weighted sigh, she dares a little small talk. I thought, oh lady, this is your lucky day...run! Ends up that she's a homeschooling mom of six. Three children in college - two seeking PhD's - and three still at home. She had my ear quick. My respect meter was at an all-time high and I wanted to know her formula...how in the word did she do it?!

(All the while we're involved in conversation, I'm realizing that I've been set up. This was a God-moment planned just for me and I'd better pay attention.)

She sums up her Godly advice with one Scripture, "Every wise woman builds her house, but the foolish one tears it down with her own hands." -- Proverbs 14:1

As she quotes the latter part of that verse, she acts out "tearing down" with her piano fingers. She makes her fingers like claws, crinkles her own face, and makes a downward motion. I've got to be honest, it scared me. That gesture awakened me.

She didn't give me a formula. No A+B=C. (Somehow I knew that would happen.) She looked at me straight in the face, eyes glaring with a holy fire that I cannot put into words, and she said, "Whatever you do, don't tear down your house."

Lastly, she shares with me that she's never been in the exercise room and felt that the Lord had directed her and I to a God-moment. I was like, lady, you have NO idea! 

We end our conversation with introductions. She introduces herself as Rebekah and I as Joann. We shake hands, exchange smiles, and walk away in fullness...she knows that she's been a vessel of Grace and I know that He heard my cry.

Oh God, what woman wants to tear down her house? Not me, never! I want to build my house. I want to be in construction until that very last day...edifying and encouraging my husband, my daughters, and whoever else the Lord brings across my path.

*****

Thank you, Rebekah. Thank you for allowing the Holy Spirit to direct your steps yesterday. I needed you. I needed your wisdom, your experience, a piece of your heart and you did not withhold. I may never see you again, but your gracious face will remain in my memory. You've made an imprint on my heart that will last a life-time.

Morning Manna

"...I will not forget you. Behold, I have indelibly imprinted (tattooed a picture of) you on the palm of each of My hands...." -- Isaiah 49:16 AMP

Abba, no matter what it feels like, sounds like, or looks like, I am not forgotten. I am tattooed on Your Hands. Each time You look at Your Hands, You remember the Sacrifice that You made for me and it was Very Good! Your Hands bear an eternal mark of Love.

Because You're with me, I will not fear.

Morning Manna

"Therefore, behold, I will allure her [Israel] and bring her into the wilderness, and I will speak tenderly and to her heart. There I will give her her vineyards and make the Valley of Achor [troubling] to be for her a door of hope and expectation. And she shall sing there and respond as in the days of her youth and as at the time when she came up out of the land of Egypt." -- Hosea 2:14-15 AMP

Abba, there are times when our journeys take an unexpected turn. There are times when circumstances just don't make sense. Whether I'm on the mountaintop or in the valley, You are there with me. You give me springs and rivers in the desert. You are my Door of Hope. You are my Door of Expectation.

Allure me, Prince of Peace, pursue my heart and make me to grasp that I am Captivating. Speak tenderly, Jesus, for my heart is open and longing to hear what You think of me. Rather than a tumbleweed, I am a fruitful vine...rooted and established in Your Love. Cause me to bear fruit that lasts for generations.

The wilderness is a place where I can hear. The wilderness is a place of quiet rest. May I not despise my growing place, but understand that each day You are perfecting Your Image in me.

I am Your Bride, betrothed to You until that Final Day.

Morning Manna

"God rewrote the text of my life when I opened the book of my heart to His eyes." -- Psalm 18:24 MSG

Abba, You are writing my life story each day and You invite me to partner with You. I truly have no clue where we're headed; however, I do know that with You as my Shepherd, I am safe. I can breathe freely...in Confident Peace. I open the book of my heart to Your Eyes. I ask You to Run Your Text Check and correct any errors, rewrite where needed, and add text wherever You'd like. You are the Editor of my life and You have full authority to make changes and additions until I am a completed work. The Copyright is eternal. There is no one else like me on this earth. I am fearfully and wonderfully made by Your Hand. Have Your Way in my story today.

Morning Manna

"And the tree of the field shall yield its fruit and the earth shall yield its increase; and [My people] shall be secure in their land, and they shall be confident and know (understand and realize) that I am the Lord, when I have broken the bars of their yoke and have delivered them out of the hand of those who made slaves of them." -- Ezekiel 34:27 AMP

Abba, breaking free is Your desire for all of us. I've never been more convinced that the battle for the feminine heart begins at a very young age. Teach me to unveil Jesus and expose the lies of the enemy for my daughters.

Their hearts belong to You. Their hope-filled futures belong to You. Their passions and desires come from You. You Delight in them...and in me.

It's time to break free.

Good-bye Facebook, Hello Blog

For the last several days I've been feeling an irritation develop. It's a sort of "scratchiness" that's beginning to fester. I know the signs. The Lord uses this unsettling in my heart to show me that a season is over...it's time to move on. It's time to write.

So, here I am with the same goals - to encourage others in their life journey based on how the Lord is encouraging me in mine.

I'm not blogging to flog you with laws, clog you with "knowledge", or dog you with my opinions. I'm blogging to nudge you with a nugget of His Grace for the day.

Your welcome to...

• Join me first thing for Morning Manna
• Check-in to read an occasional story, thought, or lesson that I've learned
• View pictures of my princesses, my husband, and even my cat

I'm a family gal who likes to keep it simple, I'm a volleyball mom who is often on the road, I'm a guide to an adult daughter with big dreams, I'm a wife to a self-less man, and I'm the caretaker to three fish that I'm amazed are still living and a cat that just wants to sit at my feet.

...sharing what I'm learning while I'm learning it.