Wholeness Lived…

We have been gifted with WHOLENESS…RESTORATION…PEACE  through the Wounds of Christ.

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WHOLENESS given is now WHOLENESS lived out in our earthly life.

Sometimes there seems so much messy brokenness in the WHOLENESS…

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Let not doubt have a room under your roof!

Glory is your foundation…Built sturdy to withstand the messiness!

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The power of LOVE is the mortar that builds the temple of God who you are…

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yes, WHOLENESS given is WHOLENESSs to be lived…

in the here and now….step by step by step,

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HOME.

“Rise up in splendor! Your light has come, the glory of the Lord shines upon you.  See, darkness covers the earth, and thick clouds cover the peoples; But upon you theLlord shines, and over you appears his glory.” Is 60:1-2

Go Out Into the Whole World…

“I am part of the Fellowship of the Unashamed.

The die has been cast.  The decision has been made.  I have stepped over the line.  I won’t look back, let up, slow down, back away, or be still.

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My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, and my future is in God’s hands.  I am finished and done with low living, sight walking, small planning, the bare minimum, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed visions, mundane talking, frivolous living, selfish giving, and dwarfed goals.

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I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotions, applause, or popularity.  I don’t have to be right, first, the best, recognized, praised, regarded or rewarded.  I now live by faith.  I lean on Christ’s presence. I love with patience, live by prayer, and labor with the power of God’s grace.

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My face is set.  My gait is fast, my goal is heaven.  My road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions are few, my Guide is reliable, and my mission is clear.

image via sacredoutfitter.blogspot.com

I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, deluded, or delayed.  I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of adversity, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity.

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I won’t give up, shut up, let up, or slow up until I have stayed up, stored up, prayed up, paid up, and spoken up for the cause of Christ. I am a disciple of Jesus. I must go till He comes, give until I drop, speak out until all know, and work until He stops me.

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And when He returns for his own, He will have no difficulty recognizing me.  My banner is clear;  I am a part of the Fellowship of the Unashamed.” (Patrick Madrid, author and radio host)

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Amen, Amen, Amen!

“He said to them, “GO out into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature.” Mark 16:15

Questions…

It’s not that God doesn’t answer our questions..

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It’s more..

Do we have the COURAGE to ask the questions that need to be asked?…

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And the HUMILITY to accept the answers?

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“Probe me, God, know my heart; try me, know my concerns.  See if my way is crooked then lead me in the ancient paths.” Ps 139:23-24

Silly for Saturday #8…

And so I was walking in the park….

Rounded the bend and ran into…

A SMILING duck! And he looks a bit mischievious too!

Have you ever had an animal smile at you?…you can’t help but smile back!

image via cyburbia.orgimage via cyburbia.org

image via mrspeeksfarmhouse.blogspot.com

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Charles de Lint, Canadian author and folk musician, said, ” I want to touch the heart of the world and make it smile.”

May your weekends be filled with smiles given and received!

Blessings on you and yours, FromtheheartofJ

When We Forget…

When we forget to worship….

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we forget who we are.

When we lose sight of God…

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we lose sight of what we are.

His Image and His likeness.

(this is what I am listening to today : )

Take Me into the Beautiful by Cloverton

“Then God said: “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.” Gen 1:26a

Slice of Life…

The ins and outs of our everyday lives…our routines…our patterns…

Do you see the EXTRAORDINARY in the ORDINARY of your daily “slice of life”?

How quickly our vision dims at the beauty before us….The beauty in the ordinary.

Is it…”Oh no, here comes a new day?”

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Or, the beauty of the morning light splashed upon the pillow?

Is it, “Is the back yard flooded again?!”

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Or the depth of reflection in a mud puddle?

Is it, “Busy, busy day…no time to cook dinner.”

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Or the joy of conversation over take-out?

The things that matter most are treasures hidden in our unique “slice of life”

I have been abundantly blessed to participate in the “Slice of Life” Project e-course taught by talented, beauty seeker, Seattle based photographer, Darrah Parker.

image via www.darrahparker.com

With Darrah’s assistance and inpirational encouragement, photographers from all over the world (thanks to the internet) have reclaimed the beauty of the ordinary of their lives through the lens of their cameras. There are pros with fancy cameras all the way to beginners with point and shoot or camera phones all learning and being blessed by the sharing of the ordinary turned extraordinary…a beauty treasure hunt.

Darrah on her website www.darrahparker.com shares about the class,

image via www.darrahparker.com

“Have you ever wanted to stop time? Hold a moment in your hands? Capture a slice of your life and turn into a treasure? In the Slice of Life Project, you will dig beneath the surface of your everyday life with your trusty camera by your side and unearth the beauty that has been there all along.”

“The Slice of Life approach to photography is a way of seeing, noticing, and appreciating the nuances and details that make your life special. It’s a way of embracing and honoring the imperfections in yourself, your loved ones, your messy kitchen, and cluttered shelves. It’s about saying that your life is just right the way it is.”

“This workshop will not require the perfect camera or fancy lenses or knowledge of ISO, aperture, or shutter speed. It won’t even require you to get out of your pajamas or make your bed! It will only require you to show up with a camera (ANY camera), an open mind, and a creative spirit.”

Registration is now open for the next class beginning April 6…take this 6 week retreat and rediscover the beauty in your life! Go to the website www.darrahparker.com  for more details.

Beauty leads to wonder and awe…beauty leads to gratitude…beauty leads to praise!

And we were created to be a people of praise and thanksgiving!

May you be blessed this day with the recognition of the beauty in your life!

Geo-What?…

“Geo WHAAAAAT?,” said the Krispy Kreme Doughnut worker at the drive thru…

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“You know…Geo Caching…will you give us a hint as to where it is?”my husband calmly said.

Whatever are you talking about fromtheheartofj?

GEO-CACHING.

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It’s a real world outdoor treasure hunting game.  First players get coordinates for hidden treasures via the official website www.geocaching.com Then they try to locate hidden containers, called geocaches, using GPS enabled devices or their smart phones. After they find one they sign a logbook, see what others have left behind and if they want, share their experiences online. There are over 1 1/2 million geocaches hidden world wide and over 5 million geocachers around the globe. Almost 4000 hidden in my zip code alone and I don’t live in any booming metropolis.

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Well, I wasn’t about to crawl in the big green dumpster just to find a geocache so we didn’t find that one, but did find one hidden at Texas Roadhouse Steakhouse so the trip wasn’t a total waste. Honestly, it takes awhile for us to hear of things in Alabama, but this weird and wacky hobby will keep you laughing as it did the carload of folks I was with. It’s great fun for kids, teenagers, young adutls, middle agers, and grannies and grandpas. You just have to be young at heart!

So….what does geo-caching have to do with a devotional blog about the journey of the heart?

Well…We were created to be “seekers”. We were made to seek God…to grope for Him even though He is not far away.

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Are you in touch with that seeking part of your heart? For it is a part of who you are.

I find that the desire to seek spills over into all parts of my life. To nurture that seeking in the many varied ways it presents itself is to nurture that part of our heart that is creative.

So yes, seek God and you will find Him. He stands knocking at the door.

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And if you have nice weather this weekend…get out and do some geocaching…it’s weird, and wacky but best of all it’s free.

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“He made from one the whole human race to dwell on the entire surface of the earth, and He fixed the ordered seasons and the boundaries of their regions, so that people might seek God, even perhaps grope for Him and find Him, even though indeed He is not far from any one of us.” Acts 17:26-27

Designer Collection…

You knit me in my mother’s womb…

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Stitch by stitch.

The way you intertwined the DNA with which I am created…

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Is Your Divine Design.

And you saw it as wonderful!

You outlined my days. You numbered them.

NOTHING about me is a mistake!

I am part of the Heavenly Father’s “Designer Collection”

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 And I wear His label!

“You formed my inmost being; you  knit me in my mother’s womb. I praise you so wonderfully you made me; wonderful are your works! My very self you knew; my bones were not hidden from you.  When I was being made in secret, fashioned as in the depths of the earth. Your eyes foresaw my actions; in your book all are written down; my days were shaped, before one came to be. How precious to me are your designs, O God.” Ps 139 13-17

Glimpses of God…

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 There are so many ways to RECEIVE God’s LOVE…

Divine love notes fill our days.

Do we notice them?

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Do we ponder all those seemingly coincidences that catch our attention?…

Coincidences that really are “God-incidences”?…

Glimpses of God peeking through our everyday.

RECEIVE His LOVE and be transformed.

“Your love is before my eyes; I walk guided by your faithfulness.” Ps 26:3

A Silly for Saturday #3…

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Dancing with the feet is one thing…

but dancing with the HEART is another!

(a really fun video I’ve came across on a fellow blogger’s site…I wasn’t able to go back and find out which one…so you who shared this thank you!

http://youtu.be/Np3u-kZ2UF8

What if we all began the day with such “spring in our step”? This video made me want to go skip down the street.

Would you join in the dance?

May it bring a smile into your Saturday.

Blessings.