go forward by guide

rollercoaster.

we get on—for thrill & for fun—& all we know is we’re sitting down, strapping in, in for the ride. then, as we’re uplifted, we drop, fly, roar! wherever the tracks guide. we’re completely out of control, all we can do is sit, go with the flow, & laugh.

isn’t this true—life in God is a little like a rollercoaster. whooosh! we’re going forward in Him, by trust & rest, & it is fun. Joy. Freedom! we don’t have to figure it out. we just need to trust. The Life Engineer made the thing, & on Him we depend!

we only need Oil for the track & no fear. but if our roller coaster car gets stuck in the muck of afraid, we must get oil—by going to Secret Place, where Abba Father Friend will strengthen us, again.

so go.

Trust.

Fly! Free.

The Guide has a plan. sit down in Him. hold fast, buckle. Rest.

& don’t forget to smile.

help’s here!

the first step to not drowning is to acknowledge you are drowning.

this seems silly. but imagine you’re in the ocean with no boat & no buoy. head barely bobbing above water as icy dark water chops threaten to swallow life, muscles screaming —exahausted from treading. hungry, hopeless, helpless.

wouldn’t your reality be desperation??

*sploosh!* a white ring splashes in cold water—a lifesaver tossed from above. will you grab it? or will you choose to drown?

 this picture just painted is all of us! we’re all drowning without saving, until we realize our need.

rescue requires humility.

the point is, the moment you start to feel the water, the moment you notice the black, cold waves slicing over your head, hang on to that realization! it may feel like a death sentence. so uncomfortable and painful. like something you just want to shut out. but the alternative is to die from comfort, falling asleep in familiarity (which is truly death). when  you are woken up, I beg you, don’t ignore the freezing karate chop waves. that awareness is mercy. we cannot be rescued unless we know we need help.

& all you need is a cry.

HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

you don’t have to learn how to swim.

you don’t even need to hold your breath.

all it takes is one word—help. spoken genuinely. true repentance.

God delights to show mercy.

we can’t get ourselves out. no amount of money or “fulfillment” from things here on earth will ever satisfy or save.

help is otherworldly.

for many this past year or so has revealed the hungry sea, bodies freezing, nearly underwater. now that you know—how will you respond: a raw HELP, or choosing to go under?

I pray over every person reading this word now, that a spirit of humility comes over us. may we see accurately and interpret rightly. may we give ourselves up, not to the sea, but to the Seer of our souls! to the Rescuer. the ship is there. will you allow Him your hand?

God gives grace to the humble

James 4.6

touch my ugly

touch my ugly

let Your love light up my coffin

be with me & the cobwebs

 wisp away, my heart remembers

its song

again

& everything new—

from my piano key toes

 to garden brain.

I want to walk with You in the

cool of the day, going forward

together

that’s all I desire:

together.

have my ugly. I let

You in—to my basement

of dark & spiders & dust

fix me. find me.

only You can

make it better

the pain like cabooses crushing

my chest

yet normal

because it’s all i’ve known

yet You

yet, You

touch my ugly

wash my wounds

i’m ready

100% seen

all the way

known

I welcome

You

I’m done

hiding

behind my leaf loin

 cloth

find me

have me

i’m Yours

pocket

what’s in your pocket?

I don’t mean your jeans or purse, but the space available. we’re all, in a sense, pockets, in that we hold finite, numerable amounts. pockets.

what’s in your pocket? what’s in your heart, your mind, what occupies your space & time? what’s in you?

 the Bible says out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. what’s in you will come out. what’s coming out of you, & therefore what’s inside? if you’re saying some not nice things, like complaining, worrying, gossiping, being mean with your mouth, go to God. because that is an indicator of an area of your heart that needs touched by Yeshua. out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks it says. be aware.

 what’s in your pocket? if in your literal pocket, you have, say a phone & keys, would there be space for sunglasses? probably not. what is there—the phone & keys—occupy the available area, not allowing something else like sunglasses in. in the same sense, we have limited heart real estate. you can’t have space for it all. if your heart is occupied by clutter—worldly noise & the din & chaos of here— you won’t have space inside for Heaven.

we must empty ourselves, to make room for Him.

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:3

heaven belongs to those who recognize their need to be emptied.

for every lie there is a truth. for every piece of junk occupying room in our hearts, there is a treasure longing to take its place.

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Romans 12:2 ESV

we must identify the lies & in their place, look for that which is true.

we must allow ourselves to be undone, unraveled & start completely over. square one. only then can we be full of good & God.

 “Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” John 3:3-8

take some time to inventory. what’s within? pray—talk to God. listen. seek. ask. see & let the Lord deal with your interior. let Him empty out those pockets of earth trash wrappers & manmade things, so you can have room for Him to make His Home within.

Lord, would You empty us. flip us upside down & empty our pocket of everything crammed in there! please! all the lollipop wrappers & lipstick, old gum wads & crumbs… the junk, trash, trauma, sin, flesh, evil, me-me-me-me-me… empty us so we can have space to receive anew. we want heaven—YOU! get all the room in us. become our home. be our heart. we just want You.

dancer of my dreams

flush fresh air

lungs gasp flowers—

first time!

lily tulip rose tune

music erupt

toe smile

I know you

this hug home—

my best Friend,

God!

each inside joke

between us

secret laughter

sparkle sprinkle confetti

the salt to my soup

rain to my fields

my gills in ocean

bread to my sandwich

oh! You!

I can’t explain love

but love’s my life

my reality

I experience You every second—

knight rescue,

dragon drooling last breath

because You

came

delighted in me

dream too good to be true

fairy tale realized

You’re the snow globe I’m never gonna leave

my safe space my husband and security

I LOVE YOU

You don’t get in accidents

You don’t spill or change

the only One i’ll never have to forgive

my Lover is perfect

Hallelujah, earth friend! find your gold with me—the live forever hidden treasure box, it exists!!

 the only thing—treasure is a person not a thing. make Him your one thing & life will change. daily puking will disappear. you’ll never need to walk on your elbows again—no more orphaning

you’ll be safe for first time. from drowning to dancing, that’s what King does, who King is

let’s get lost in the maze of His gaze

escape to other space

there’s nothing like being loved by the universe breather

FUN 🎉

tummy blender hill bender hair dryer screaming higher, rollercoaster adrenaline. black & white abc’s absorb tea steam bathes in afternoon sunlight cat on lap, book lover dream. tall friends of brown & green lead eyes up with their branches waving in breeze fresh air canyon view flowerswild & sparkly dew, hikers paradise. board game night camaraderie around the table laugh till snort, pee—the gang’s all here. travel high flying jet to new everything exotic cuisine like cuy bright geometric patterned shawl funky music hola que tal? adventure junkie delight.

what’s your idea of fun?

have you thought of the Presence of God, as fun?

the bible says in psalm 16 that in His presence is fullness of joy. better than the most desirable & enjoyable thing imaginable, is Jesus.

God is fun.

He wants to have fun with us.

have you ever spent more than a half hour around a young child? If so you’ll know their world is quite different from ours! Their world revolves around laughter & play. Good Dads love to wrestle with their children, chase them & be the tickle monster, make blanket forts, & pretend.

a childs entire existence can be summed up into the word FUN.

so if we’re the children of God, we are waking up to playing with our Dad.

He rescues us because He delights in us (psalm 18:19)!

 “Yahweh your God is in your midst, A mighty one who will save. He will be joyful over you with gladness; He will be quiet in His love; He will rejoice over you with joyful singing.”

Zephaniah 3:17

“in the wilderness you saw how Yahweh your God carried you, just as a man carries his son, in all the way which you have walked until you came to this place.’”

Deuteronomy 1:31

“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”

John 1:12-13

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!”

Philippians 4:4

He loves to play with His kids. when we’re resting, we’re enjoying Jesus. when we’re enjoying Jesus, we’re resting. there is rest available today. it’s in the eyes of love. in the arms that carry you & the laughter—oh it’s in the laughter!

enjoy Jesus today, as Jesus enjoys you

today cascade

life is one breath,

one blink.

so let's embrace, even cubicle space. after all, life is now; this is it! there is no rehearsal, we are here, performance fit!

let's embark on a quest for the good. find the joy in all things and you will never be without in the drought. enjoy Yeshua.

& never underestimate the power of the small—pollen, seeds, a yes.

& may that seed given to you from heaven find a yes in your heart, like how fuzzy yellow pollen dot, carried by a busy bumble bee travels to populate earth with beauty. or a teeny vesselseed of new life finds its way underground, nestled in soil particles, ready to sprout and birth a habitat, an oxygen fountain, a branch dance in wind.

this all happens as that ache resonating in your veins, echoing on the stars, testifies: there is More! 

there's a reason the money's a void, the coins never change enough. 

there's a reason earth searches for her husband. 

we're not meant to be alone. 

so when your heart throbs, let the longing draw you up, out, to the arms of Father.

He is the More our hearts long for. there is a Love drawing us all. 

so belong to God in Christ. rest in His arms.

He's already holding you. Already Loves you completely. 

Love says yes to you today.

Love Himself invites you to dance, to be married, to sing a duet. give up your walls and your defenses.

Love says yes to you!

& even in the junk there's joy. we can laugh and dance! in the midst of mud puddles, Splash. in the midst of depression, Sing! because the God of Grace Loves: you.

today! we can look at the One who is looking at us. we can be seen & understood.

today is a day of rest. resting in Him.

you may be shuffling deadlines or chauffeuring kids, but there is still rest.

you may be hustling or homemaking, but there is still rest.

you may be flying airplanes, running with dogs, typing homework, changing dirty diapers. you may be commuting, headbanging, baking, mowing.

wherever, whatever the day brings, there is rest.

deep in our hearts, we can have peace with God in Yeshua. 

remember what He did—the work done. so we can rest, in Him 💙

pillow talk

You’re not like the others. You’re not like the sand, shifting and eroding, ebbing and flowing as tide comes and leaves. or star—born, sparkle, implode. breath, comes, goes. there’s grace laced throughout Your royal robes and burning eyes, leaving no trace of former scars or lies. You love to forgive, You love to forget—You don’t count my mistakes, or look at my forsaken state of mind. but call me beloved, found, Yours… all along. this false reality—me me me—ice melting beneath, nowhere to go but sink, is taken in a blink. when You look at me.

and taken, I am. Your gaze undoing every corner and crevice of things I thought I knew. unraveled, a puddle of yarn and knelt knees. I can barely stand that You would look at me. this love, so intense. I feel like rowing away. yet I’m drawn ever sweetly, stayed. can’t make sense of this, don’t even wanna. i’m this beckoning fits my longing like a gloved hand. here we are, together. I never knew I missed You till we met. this Sun never stops shining. this Guide never stops giving. this God never stops pursuing. i can’t get away from You, why, why would i want to? nowhere else to go. even if I leave, You love.

You don’t leave. day 693, still. the same. unchanged. unmoved. like gazing at fire licking air on crisp night, I stare, at You. You don’t get old and You’re never boring. like Christmas morning or my wedding day, how can this elation stay? yet You elaborate, showing me more, then more, somehow more love. right here, so present. how do You be this way? so unlike all the other lovers, who left, never stayed. who left me hungry, wanting. chip bags full of empty, air. staring into vacant stands. reaching for green paper to buy another new, same disappointment. an island of misery. why did no one ever tell me I could be free, for free? given everything—You.

*this is an excerpt from my book, Microwave the Moon. i hope it blesses you! Available on Amazon: https://a.co/d/040vdod

comparison kills

sometimes, we compare.

maybe you love to paint but… you can’t paint like that guy over there. so you devalue what you have based on that guy.

noooooo!

since when have other people been the measure?!

God’s the plumbline, & He’s crazy about your abilities in Him!

many people are waiting to use what God’s given them. waiting until they’re exceptionally-up-to-expectations-excellent. there’s nothing wrong with desiring excellence. but, in reality, we need to just step out in faith and do the thing. momentum begets momentum. just doing it is the way forward. start!

we often feel like what God’s given us to share with the world is nothing special. We think— it’s normal to me, so why would anyone else think it special?

…

dear child of God,

you don’t see what you have as important, when, in reality, you’re the only person on earth who can do it like you can. no one else. no one can do it like you.

if you are funny, tell jokes—make people smile! if you can bake, make pies! if you are a singer, sing. teachers teach, athletes train and sewers sew!

just do the thing.

that is how you will get better anyways—by practice! by actually engaging that unique part of the image of God in you, the beauty the goodness, the special talent or skill!

whatever excuses or lies you’ve heard about why you’re not writing, not singing, not cooking, not painting, not starting a business or whatever that special ability God’s gifted to you, tell it to shut up!

stop looking around!

 & instead believe—i am created on purpose, with a purpose. I am here to know and make God known. no one can reflect Him in the exact, unique way He made me to! I get to shine my own specific rainbow in earth. so I shine! I must do the thing i’m made to do! otherwise the world will be missing a ray of light, as no one can shine the way I am created to!

so create! sing! make music & paint & build websites, landscape, & fix cars!! write books & teach children & pole vault! whatever the thing you’re given to do, your gift, do it well, for Him!!

what will you do with what you’re given?

God gave you gifts and abilities and talents for a reason!

what will you do with what you’re given?

liquid prayer

Closets of souvenirs—the trinkets we stuff the baggage we hide. Trashbags of teddies from ex’s, flesh chards from that internal forest fire in ’05, vial of the water coughed up from drowning, and our own urn. That’s what we hide. The ugly. The things we think if someone saw, they wouldn’t want us. Yet, that hidden scarlet letter is our passage point to the heart of God. To connect with the God of caring and kindness, let your wounds find air. Expose them to Him in open cries. Find the water in the weeping. As we let go—salty droplets, closets unhinged, downpours from drowning soul…He meets. He hears. He responds. He comes. He loves. He cries with you in rain. That flood of love waterfalling us in those heartbreaking soulaching screams… that flood of love overcomes. All the pain eclipsed by His love.

Those cries—the 911 of the soul—move the heart of God.

There’s some wounds only tears can find.

gift thanks

everybody's writing stories

let yours be a 'thank you' book—through every breath and bone

let your eyeblinks, heartbeats, footsteps, lungsongs, give thanks

for pollen dust and leaf spines

for the cells that compose music like you and me

tiny thank you’s

thank!

big thanks, like for rainforest soup--steamy and diverse

or for star map, sky pokes who light our path

big thanks like for your best relationship, a friend or a sister, a spouse or a child. thank for that relationship without which you may not be alive

thank!

don't forget the things we forget to notice

the warm sunlight hugging kitchen counter in late afternoon

the dew dotting grass blade in first day click

ocean waving

the constant symphony composed by birds in backyard (don't let them be without an audience!)

thank!

don't forget the things we take for granted

health, home, clothes, food, friends, family, oxygen, sleep, running water, indoor plumbing, electricity, technology, cars, rain

thank!

what about the things that hurt, the splinters and the S shaped spine, the grief and the sneezes, mold and mosquitoes--the things that don't feel good

give thanks in all circumstances, no matter what, always

the spring shines because of months of snow

and who are we to thank for the good and not the hard

thank…

count one, two... six hundred four! oh the blessings we have!

number your gifts and you will never be dry

thank!

we're all writing a story

let it be a dance of gratitude

a movie showing every gift

there is always something to be grateful for

the little

the big

the things that go unnoticed

the things taken for granted

take a moment and list what you have

write it down

paste it somewhere you see

thank, count, smile

BURST with thanks!

truly, there are too many gifts to number

choose, to see the good, in all

thank God!

A joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones.

Proverbs 17:22

connection = life

when a person bungee jumps, they’re depending on the cord to keep them connected, to keep them alive! we, too, need to live connected, to remain in the vine.

stay strong in connection, keep yourself in the confines of love. know connection is life. Jesus, thank You for being our lifeline. we are nothing without You! please keep us, help us want You. teach us Your ways & may all we do flow out of connection & communion with You.

for without You we perish.

but with You, we soar. so have all of us & more. have this life You gave us, & let the love You’ve shown us be multiplied through fruitful abiding.

I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you

John 15:1-7

recipe for frosted whimsy

1 inch octopus tongue

Christmas morning

3 watts firefly butt

88 sunshine beam smiles

9 cups pebbles, sprinkles, dew medley

1 pound warm fuzzies

4.3 yaks

For the frosting:

2 whale songs

1/4 cup daisy doilies

11 minutes wind chime melody

top right corner of sunrise from September 5, 1542

Mix well

the stars are trying to get in

unlit fire pit

forgot spatula

no meat to flip

my tent

rips

wind flips paper leaves

dirt carpet

catches trees’

sheddings

and my eye

drips,

salty, droopy

 hands

wait, black hole

head,

 poison crowdsurf thoughts

dead

drowning in illusions

unsure

not safe

but my flesh tent will be

okay

because

the stars are trying to get in

they knocked yesterday,

looked at my failing

estate, said “yes.”

then dropped their stations, to shine within

me

so I’m still camping

on this site with the port-a-potty and the squirrels

my camp grill’s lit now though,

I didn’t do it.

the rocks started singing and I

couldn’t help but

join in.

now we’re clapping

my toes tapping

I can’t stop

smiling

inside

 the lantern’s lit

hot dogs roasting

the forest still smells

like forest,

my hair’s the same colour

but now

I know Love

Himself

heaven here

the stars laugh from

within

I don’t recognize myself

but I’m glad

 to divorce old

this is so much

better

my joy container:

the sky—wide and unmeasured by human

eye

I’m a band

a regular symphony,

forever

colliding

with

now

your days of youth & yawning are over…now is time for merit & mirth

beach carpet—hot, dry, composite miniature shell mirrors, pebbles, sand molecules. each tiny bit composing a yellow shore blankie. i splay on this mosaic—my own music a collage of millions of cells, of notes, dancing, making me. each atom a party room song & redemption long—longer than my eye can see the blue waves echoing off horizon edge.

here, i am.

You brought me here, a bookmark in time, a pause. a place to be—just You & me. so here we are, together, on Your island beach.

Your island beach where You take every memory every tear, each broken pottery piece shard and moonbeam shed from head hung night, You take all the mismatched & missing pieces, to make a mural masterpiece. You leave no second untouched, revisiting & redeeming all the atoms of me until the movie of my life switches genres from drama & trauma to romance—You.

You brought me here, the beach of healing. so heal me here. let us sit let us walk the water’s tip where waves splash & drip the sand dark, where sea & shore hold hands, washing, recreating the sand again & again like tide submits to moon, i submit to You my shadows, heal me here.

Your lavishing is longer than my languishing!

free happy

clown. forced, fake, makeup caked, dressed to make you think of joy but on the inside a crying mess. farce!

—that’s all earth offers—pretend mirage happy like chasing wind, never full.

 All earth can give you is empty wind.

 “Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity. What does man gain by all the toil at which he toils under the sun? A generation goes, and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever. The sun rises, and the sun goes down, and hastens to the place where it rises. The wind blows to the south and goes around to the north; around and around goes the wind, and on its circuits the wind returns. All streams run to the sea, but the sea is not full; to the place where the streams flow, there they flow again. All things are full of weariness; a man cannot utter it; the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing. What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun.”

Ecclesiastes 1:2-9 ESV

but this lie that can lead us to look for who is life!

because happy is real.    

genuine in out true happy. rainbow on rain joy! real happy.

a snail snails slowly along, happy as can be just the way he is—slime trail & all! no rock complains about sitting still. no cloud compares herself to lightning in jealous huffs. no, nature, creation, is content. so why do we talk back to Creator? why do we wish away what He gave? each one of us has a gift unique! if we would only stop looking around & instead find & embrace our specific dna. rock rock and cloud cloud, salamander be salamander and naked mole rat be naked & you be nakedly unashamed in Him.

a part of losing ourselves in Him is to discover the freedom of being happy. happy with how He made us because we are satisfied with His beauty. happy is not a circumstance or luck, chance or getting what we want. happy is Jesus, the only love and puzzle piece missing cornerstone without whom we will always miss but with Him, fullness and happy and life!

Jesus + Nothing = Everything!

Jesus says love your neighbor as you love yourself. if you grumble about any part of how you’re made, you’re unable to love your neighbor in that way…

you cannot give what you don’t have.

so receive love, put it on! & you will have ample love to give to the person in front of your face this moment, & the next.

because without love we are nothing.

we can do no thing on our own.

so receive love now. put Him on. because He gave, we give.

happy & free because Jesus died for me, i’ll live for Him in harmony! paid the price, came back to life, free. bought with blood, sealed with dove. I know i’m loved. so I sit in this rapturous goodness & grace, getting to multiply what He first gave me—love.

I looked high low, under stones & stars, all the places I could think but my heart still throbbing my hole still gaping, invisible flesh wound spreading & sin sickness killing.

until what I could not do myself was done for me, chosen by God on a wet cold skull hill, Love came down & rescued me. drowning was all I knew until I received the gift of lungs and took my first breath of Life.

happiness is Jesus is Gods gift to us. to be fully content in God. whatever you think you’re looking for, the answer is Jesus. until you surrender to His breath in your lungs, you will be stuck with the mickey mouse bandaid you taped across the bullet holes bleeding out.

be happy now when you fall down, lose your clowns—those lies masquerading as truth, & let Happiness Himself wreck & give and burn prune remodel your interior until it’s new. because until we unglue, we’ll never be who we’re created to be. so let Artist great have you. & the masterpiece He crafted you to shine will be.

“You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”Psalm 16:11

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!”
Philippians 4:4

water slide ride💦

twist, turn, splish, kerplosh, fall—into arms open wide!

grace is a lot like a water slide. God carries us to Himself. we breathe, hop in, and trust—going with the flow of the Spirit as He carries us where we’re meant to be, in Father’s arms.

 we obey though we don’t always see, following the laid out path to Father God, the end of it all a rapturous joy full of laughter, light and glee!

will you go with Holy Spirit flow, submitting and surrendering afresh each dawn, knowing Father God is worthy of our trust?

many children hesitate at the top of an enclosed water slide, afraid to glide. it’s dark. it’s down. they can’t see their Dad waiting to hold them on the other side; all they see is unknown and what if and scared.

but when that child finally goes, he finds his toes in water, whooshing splashing spurring him onward, forward, carrying him to his forever Father hug and the delight, the love, the affection of Him.

the ripple effect of discovering the goodness of God is increased joy, increased strength, increased willingness to obey—even when it doesn’t make sense. we must strengthen our choosing muscle by delighting ourselves in Him!

we discover, after going down waterslide once, that it’s fun! we want to climb the ladder and go again! submitting to God in faith and going on the ride daily is worth the seeming risk.

so next time you’re confronted by the unknown, just know: God is waiting for you on the other side of your yes.

 “Again we must reverse the familiar flow of our thoughts and try to understand that which is unique….”

AW Tozer

For we live by faith, not by sight.

2 Corinthians 5:7

Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you saying, “This is the way; walk in it.

Isaiah 30:12

The Lord is my shepherd; I have what I need. He lets me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. He renews my life; He leads me along the right paths for His name’s sake. Even when I go through the darkest valley, I fear no danger, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff—they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Only goodness and faithful love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord as long as I live.

Psalm 23

frog finesse

lily circle green bump leaps—flying through  air, flinging her whole self forward with one grand thrust—a royal proclamation of God’s creativity, wisdom, and beauty.

no one jumps like the frog!

zoom in on these propelling frog legs, made with denser muscle fibers and other special features that make a frog capable of leaping like no other creature on earth. frog, known for her strange leg strength, sings or rather croaks a frequency of God’s glory that no other animal created can.

the frog’s ability to jump unique & unusual is given from above just like from above an unusual & unique way is given each & every one of us.

everyone has some sort of special strength!

maybe great ideas come easily to you, or you’re able to fix anything. maybe you can pick up other languages without trouble, or you’re really good with numbers. maybe you can paint murals or run marathons. maybe you can make anyone feel at home by being friendly or you can improvise music.

we all have a frog leg.

if you’re not sure what your unique capability is, ask those in your life. they’ll know.

whatever your frog leg is—that attribute custom cut to you—use it well for the glory of God. can you whip up a mean pie? then bake your heart out. can you crack home runs? then win the derby. can you sing like an angel? belt it.

whatever your gift, don’t neglect it.

use it!

and remember, whatever your file cabinet of excuses could be (no time, i’m a mom, not good enough, inexperienced, no money, etc), God’s Grace is on you to leap!

imagine a frog who never jumped. now that would just be wrong. God didn’t give the frog hind legs for nothing!

so jump!

give God your all with what He’s given you. steward that special something to be what He gave it into the earth to be. don’t quench the image of God in you but let what He deposited into the earth through you be sown.

for the glory of the Son, shine!

let your gift leap!!

Singsong dancewed

the tree is laughing

all my hurt swallowed by music

i can’t stop singing

these battle wounds now

battle scars, marks

who testify—rebirth occurs

can’t tie me down

can’t cage these cells

the Breath Beginner

freed me

the Greenblue Marble Speaker spoke & stonecold death broke

flesh tent coursing, can’t contain, shaking

from fullness gonna overflow everywhere i go

my feet tap to His happy clap, their soles painted glee leave prints in minds & sidewalk squares. a simple song—Be Free

now a wave, now another, gush, asking to have me

yes! i say

thank you for proposing

my rainbow white gown drenched in joy watercolor tears. have me, ocean of bottomless sideless topless endless love

consume & partake

salsa bachata waltz twirl, love at first brush stroke You spoke & i am

You holy, divine, outside of time. all of life a mysterious romance—Your Kingly Self pursues clay us, poised to pounce the moment a flutter of one toe momentum moves toward Maker

waterfalls who no one sees

still relentlessly pour, in wood crevices and mountain treasure chests

come rest in the Garden of Design

lay down your time

surrender all bruises

put down those fists

you’ve been running but there’s a dance floor you’ve been boxing but He’s not keeping score

of your punches (that’s already paid for) so lay down and let the flower’s dew change you

miracle in mundane

oven mitts

breath in out in

mind logs memories in sleep

crisp air fried broccoli

rainbow promise

flowers smiling out window

forks

sky bright and blue

roof above floor below

the fact that we can change; our past is not our future because the cross is real

blood

Word

groceries

friendship

toes

(especially pinkie)

roots

opposable thumbs

colour

our skin holding everything in

every morning God painting a new picture in sky

indoor plumbing

socks

babies

Spirit of God choosing to make us His home

dew

day

night

rocks

eyes remember to blink

ecosystems’ designs

the fact that there’s still light at night (thank You for stars and moon)

pollen

the computers in our skulls

burp relief

gravity grounding us

atmosphere perfect for humans

the cut on my knee daily looking less like a cut

seasons

closet of clothes

cells, stars, stick bugs

mystery laced in all creation that draws us to our knees in wonder

healing from soul’s once brokenness

various spices

athletes, artists, musicians, teachers, mechanics, pilots, engineers, mothers, and plumbers—the diversity in gifts and the beauty of different

sunshine, warm and light, coaxing us to higher ways

today

cucumbers

truth

vision

rain

hugs

God loving to forgive

bread

life Himself

God, open our eyes to see You in everything! for truly YOU ARE. a million eternal three thousand nine infinity miracles in every second