Thursday, January 29, 2009

This is my latest collage. Some of you have asked how I learned to do it. The answer is I do not know.It was just inspiration kicking in I guess. My dear friend Camille who lives in California has been encouraging me a lot in this. One afternoon I just grabbed some paper, glue and paper scraps. I just started cutting and gluing. Now I am venturing out and looking for anything I can use in a collage. Here are some items you may have around your house already if you want to try making a collage.

Old magazines
Newspaper and sale ads
yarn and ribbon scraps
sequins
lace
silk flower scraps (I bought a bag of these at Walmart for 50 cents in the craft department)
buttons
feathers
beads and chains from old and broken jewelry
any printed item such as a map, music pages, pages from torn up books
photographs and even blurry images in photos you would not frame or keep
tissue paper
wrapping paper
old cards
brown paper bags (I used pieces of brown bags in the collage above)
coffee filters
different textures of scrap material


The possibilities are endless and it does not cost anything to start. Just use paper, glue, and things you have around the house. Find a large box or container. Start collecting any little scraps you come across in the box to do collages. As for the glue, I like using just regular school glue. I also use craft glue but it is a little thicker and harder to work with.

I have not used paints yet but hope to experiment with them at some point. Usually I start looking though my scraps and combine colors I would like for a background. I either tear or cut the paper into different shapes and then overlap them onto the page.

You can build your collage around a theme. Or you can just be more spontaneous and start combining things randomly.

I am planning to make a collage containing each of my children. The family tree above would be great to have printed to hang along side the family collage.If you are interested in having any prints of the collages you see here, you can email me through the blog. Just go to "view my complete profile", click on it and there is a link where you can email me.

The collages are a lot of fun. I have a little bit of extra space in my closet where I work on them. Some afternoons when the little ones are resting I will go into my closet and create! I feel like a little girl again! I read somewhere that art is play and we must find the inner child within us and allow her to play again!!

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Time to Shake, Shimmer and Shine!



I am just going to start writing. Yep that is what I am doing because sometimes when you think too hard about how you want to get your heart out,thoughts just do not come out accurate. So right now I am being random and free. You want to know why? Well I know that the few who read these blogs know the Lord. You have a close relationship with Jesus Christ. You are people of faith and I just want to send a bit of encouragement your way.

Every time I look in the newspaper or listen to the news there is some comment or prediction shared that things are going to get worse in our nation. "The economy will probably get worse before it gets better."Everywhere we turn our ears or eyes this is the "jazz" we hear. Who knows if that is true but God himself? And if all that "jazz" awaits us, we must not shrink. It is time for the church to shake, shimmer and shine!!

Here in Arizona the full moons are so bright that they remind me of the church. The church has no light of its own. We who are children of God have no shimmer of our own. However just as the moon is a satellite to the sun, we are a satellite of the Son, Jesus Christ. When we expose ourselves to Him, we reflect glorious light which is His glory!! Isn't that an amazing thought?Isn't this a wonderful and exciting truth?

Guard your hearts children of the Most High. Fear is still trying to come against you. Fear is the faith of the enemy. Maybe you are uncomfortable with what I am writing. However, I am here at home with no one to tell! So I am telling it here.It is time for the church to stop being shaken by fear and to be the ones doing the shaking!

Turn from fear. It is time for you to shine in this dark world filled with timidity of the unknown. Do you know why you have struggled these past seasons with sorrow, doubt and discouragement? Because God has been preparing you to be a visible pathway of gold that others can walk on to reach the throne of His glory.

Do you know why you feel like your heart has bled with unstoppable flow due to the wounds and disappointments you have encountered? Because like Jesus, it is through the flow that others come to know-to know Him!

People are on shaky ground. There are stories of individuals here in the Phoenix area who were millionaires who are almost homeless and living in shelters. So many have put their trust in the chariots and horses of this world thinking that their bank accounts will save them or that their positions of success will sustain them. But no says the Lord. I am the true and living God and nothing shall stand apart from me.

So beloved ones, God has called you as His agents to shine hope as the temporary things are falling away. Be confident that God will provide more than enough for you and your family! He will give you extra to give away. So do not hesitate and draw back in fear because of all you see around you. It is the moment for the church. A harvest is coming and so many are going to see Jesus and will want Him after rejecting Him and choosing their possessions over Him

How I dare to be bold and sound like a fool and write like a maniac! But my heart is full of hope that the season for the church to move is upon us. We must be ready and we must not hide our lights! Shine oh Bride of Christ! You've been clothed in splendor. You heart has been tried and your faith is firm. Choose faith, not fear. God has got cha! He's got cha!

Morning Bagel: Wake up. Put your face in the sunlight. God's bright glory has risen for you.The whole earth is wrapped in darkness.All people sunk in deep darkness. But God rises on you, His sunlight glory breaks over you. Isaiah 60:1-3 (The Message Bible)

Daily Hug: I love to watch how my two year old reacts when I put him in the tub. He usually gets a little timid as I lower him into the warm water. He shakes a little and hangs on tightly to me as he exclaims in his little voice, "I got cha! I got cha!" It is his little word of faith and knowing that mommy is not going to drop him in the water. He feels timid at first but he speaks those little words out loud. Then when he is settled in the water knowing I have not let him go, he relaxes.

What a perfect example of the times we are in. Some of us are fighting against fear of the unknown. The fear of being dropped and left to drown in the high waters of a shaky economy. However, as children of the Lord, we can rest assured that He 's got us in His grip and that HE will not let us go. And we can speak boldly through the veils of fear trying to cover us, "I gotcha, I gotcha." And the Lord smiles so bright at our faith filled words, and replies, "Yes, child! I gotcha! I gotcha!"

Father, thank you for all the things you allow us to go through in this journey. The tough times are simply weight training so we will have the muscles to carry the hurting and downcast upon our shoulders. We were not simply created to carry only our own weight in this world,but to help carry others in troubled times. Oh the endless peace that flows through my heart when I hear You say that you are with me and will never forsake me. Shine like the moon through my life Lord and let me simply be a reflection of You. This is my goal, this is my passion and my life. In Jesus Name. Amen

Saturday, January 24, 2009

Seasons Within Seasons



I have been thinking lately about the different seasons of my life. When my first 3 children were 4 years of age and under, the floor of our house was covered with toys and the Lord knows what else! It seemed that everything was "topsy turvy" everyday. When I was expecting our third child Kerry, I experienced the worse morning sickness ever. The memories are so vivid. Bradley and Tommy would run complete circles through the kitchen, dining room, and living room over and over while I laid on the couch so sick. And you do not want to know what it feels like to throw up grits!

Furthermore, let's not talk about my prayer life. My quiet time consisted of standing at the top of the stairs while nursing a baby and practically screaming out to God to quiet the others down so I could get the baby down for a nap. In addition, I thought that "having a ministry" meant something I did at church rather than serving those sweeties in my own home.

Then there was the season when I was pregnant with our 6th child, Daniel. Morning sickness was with me in every pregnancy. However during this time, I was heavily involved in a women's bible study on the Song of Solomon. Even though I was busy with 5 children and expecting my 6th (as well as wondering how in the world I was going to manage all those blessings!), the Lord really drew me close to Him in that season. I had revelation after revelation of how He really feels about me and all of his children.

I learned that God calls me "Beloved" and that He pays close attention to me. And when I go through the dark raging storms and my brain is talking to me and saying, "God has left you." Or the enemy of my soul says, "You are not so special after all are you?", I can rest assured that He is always present in times of trouble. He calls me Beloved and He sees beauty that I myself cannot see.

It does not matter what season of life you are in. Maybe you have small children running around full of unending energy. Or maybe all of your children are grown and have moved on. Perhaps you are newly married and are awaiting the season for children. It does not matter. There is always a season within a season. Sometimes we feel far away from God because we are so busy and distracted. Then His quiet promptings pulls you back into His presence as He gently whispers of His love and patience.

Just as a child experiences growth spurts, we also have bouts of growth in our relationship with the Lord. But no matter what phase you find yourself, He gazes into your eyes and says, " Behold, you are fair beloved. You are fair. You have dove's eyes" (Song of Solomon 2:15). Oh the pleasure in really knowing how God sees you. I encourage you to find out.

And when He draws you deeper into His presence, you find healing and restoration from the lies of the world. You walk in peace and confidence in Him. As a result you find yourself more in love with the Lover of your soul and your eyes have a single focus just like the eyes of a dove.

Presently I find myself in a new season. My oldest lives on the other side of the country. I have 8 other children in the home with one still in diapers. I am still busy chasing little ones. However, there is a season within this season. New things are unfolding and I am treasuring my family more than ever. We hardly know anyone after a time of having an abundance of friends and ongoing company. I do not understand it. But to be honest I am loving it. It is not always easy. But I am stilled and comforted when I look at my Lord and He tells me that He loves me constantly in the midst of mind wars, emotional changes and worldly pressures. I am more thankful than ever and I walk in flowing peace. To Him be the glory.

Morning Bagel: Behold you are fair my love! You are fair. You have dove's eyes. Song of Solomon 2:15

Daily Hug: A dove has one partner for life and does not have peripheral vision. This means that he is not easily distracted and has single focus. It is amazing how God uses the dove to express His desire for us. He is so attentive to us as individuals and longs for us to have that single focus for Him. Many times He allows us to go through trials because it is through the dark that we long for the light. We were created to be drawn to the light, to Him. And when we find ourselves in that place of looking unto Him only, He exclaims with delight, "You are fair my love! You are fair. You have dove's eyes.

Lord, I am so grateful for the value of your word. I do not take it for granted. I do not always understand Your thoughts. However, You reveal Yourself to me little by little so that I can appreciate who You really are. Thank you Lord that You see beauty in me that I cannot recognize. Then You do not hesitate to tell me just how You feel. I can read it in Your word. I can see it everyday in the faces of my family. I can experience it in the warmth of the sun or the whispers of an evening breeze. But most of all I can see it clearly in the gift You gave me through the Life of Your Son, Jesus. In His name, Amen.

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

COVERED HEARTS: Not Just for Parents




The old umbrella lesson. I have used it for years and have had to remind even my older children about the teaching I gave them more than once when they were very young. Just the other day, I had to pull out the faithful umbrella once again. We did not get a whole lot of school accomplished. It was one of those rare moments that I had to preach to my children.

I am all for preaching and teaching the children right from wrong through what God's word says about obedience. However, I have learned and am still learning that the best way to impart things to them is to live out the truth before them in my own life. Then when I come to the point where I have to sit them down for a talk, I have to admit to them my own failures and shortcomings before I can expect them to receive any words from me as truth.

First of all, I asked them what is the purpose of an umbrella. Of course they answered that it keeps you dry in the rain and it provides protection from a good soaking. Then we talked about how a closed umbrella is not useful in anyway for protecting you from anything. Or if you carry an open umbrella but stand outside of it, you become drenched.

Secondly, I shared with them the umbrella is much like your parents. God gives you parents to cover you and protect you when you are young. When you disobey, you are stepping out from under the covering God has provided and you expose yourself to harm. The scripture this refers to is, "Children obey your parents in the Lord for this is right. Honor your Father and Mother which is the first commandment with promise, that is may be well with you and you may live long on the earth. (Ephesians 6:1-3)

In addition, there is external obedience and internal obedience. This is where I had to admit to my kids that at times I am guilty of being obedient in my actions but disobedient in my heart and attitudes. We can do all we know we are supposed to do, but when we grumble and mumble in our minds and hearts while completing a task, then it is just the same as disobeying outwardly.

Sometimes I believe children resist obedience at times because they get it in their minds that we experience some kind of personal enjoyment in "bossing them around". We need to remind them that we expect them to obey because it is what God says for them to do. It is a command out of love and the Lord's desire for our well-being.

The other day as I was sharing with them, I tried to help them understand that I have to answer to the Lord on how I teach them and how I train them. When I obey in doing this, then I too am covered by God. But when I fail to obey , I too step out from under the umbrella. This confrontation was really for me to examine my own heart to see where I may had been engaging in heart grumbles. As a parent I want to walk in joy and gratefulness. When I have to change 3 poopie diapers in one day on the same toddler, I want to praise the Lord and see it as an act of worship unto Him. I am caring for a heavenly gift. I am cleaning up a mess off of a little person who is even more precious to God than he is to me. With this mindset I can obey and carry out even the most mundane tasks with joy and delight.

What I am throwing out here is that each time we confront our own children about an issue, we should first look within to see if the Father might want to address an issue in us. This is a word for even those who do not have children. Think about fault finding. Have you ever been quick to find fault with others? We all have been guilty of this. However, we must stop and look within to see if maybe the very flaw we are picking out in others may very well be the very thing the Lord wants to deal with in us.

Covered hearts. How blessed we are when we walk under the canopy of God's grace through the choice of obedience. The artwork above is an illustration and reminder for all of us. When we walk in obedience we are blessed. We are draped in God's mercy and we get to where we are going in this journey of life according to His plan.
He knows best.

I want to thank my son Tommy for his help with the art work. I have had this picture in my heart since I spoke with the children last week about obedience and covering. It is a visual reminder that when I teach my children and when I walk in obedience, our hearts are covered. Tommy helped me with the grey background and raindrops. He also filled in the blue coloring inside of the umbrella using a trial version of photo shop. Thank you son!

Morning Bagel:LOVE GOD, YOUR GOD, WITH YOUR WHOLE HEART: LOVE HIM WITH ALL THAT IS IN YOU, LOVE HIM WITH ALL YOU'VE GOT.

WRITE THESE COMMANDMENTS THAT I HAVE GIVEN YOU TODAY ON YOUR HEARTS. GET THEM INSIDE OF YOU AND THEN GET THEM INSIDE YOUR CHILDREN.TALK ABOUT THEM WHEREVER YOU ARE,SITTING AT HOME OR WALKING IN THE STREET. TALK ABOUT THEM FROM THE TIME YOU GET UP IN THE MORNING TO WHEN YOU FALL INTO BED AT NIGHT. TIE THEM ON YOUR HANDS AND FOREHEADS AS A REMINDER; INSCRIBE THEM ON THE DOORPOSTS OF YOUR HOMES AND ON YOUR CITY GATES. DEUTERONOMY 6:5-9 (THE MESSAGE BIBLE)

Daily Hug: There is much hope and optimism in the air as the inauguration of our new president is at hand. Many hope for change and a better future. I am more convinced everyday, that the greatest change in the country and in the world begin in individual hearts. As a mother, I long to see holiness, righteousness, and a bright future for the following generations. Therefore, I hold a responsibility to live in obedience, to love God with all my heart, soul, and strength, and to teach this to my children through my life and my words. We all long to see our nation transformed in many ways. But do we ever really stop to think about the impact just one person can have? It starts with me and with you. Change in the parent brings change in the family. Change in the family brings change in the community thus rippling out to change the nation and nations.

Father, thank you for your word. I appreciate the truth even when it hurts at times. It is only by Your grace that I can have your perspective on life. Change me Lord. I realize I cannot expect my children to grow into the individuals You desire for them to be, unless I stay before You, depending on you daily for mercy, guidance and covering. Help me to walk in humility within my own home before my loved ones. Give me grace to see with Your eyes and not with the vision of fault-finding and criticism. Create in me a clean heart. I present myself to You today as a living sacrifice that my family may experience Your love and pleasure through me. Thank you for the gift and privilege of being a mother. I ask more than anything that my children will learn more everyday what it means to love You with all of their heart, soul, and strength. Enable me Father to live that out before them each day. Let my passion for You be the living message that words will not even need to speak. In Jesus Name. Amen.

Friday, January 16, 2009


Do you remember a couple of weeks ago I said that I was going to love more through my writing by being more vulnerable? I just wanted to share with you that God is doing something new in me. Well, it has been there all along, but I did not know it. I am 44 years old and God is birthing something new from my heart. If you study the image above you will see a picture of all that is in my heart. This is my "Heart at Home" image which is the name of my blog.

It is a visual picture of all that is within me. You can click on the image to get a closer look. There are 12 hearts inside of this house. Nine of the hearts are my living children. One of the hearts symbolizes my husband, and the two small hearts in the window represent my two babies in heaven. If you will notice, the top of the house has an opening. I see this as God's door or entrance where He enters and hangs out with us. The house symbolizes my home and my heart. There is seemingly a lot of clutter here. However, it totally symbolizes a full heart. A heart full of color, desires, hopes, dreams, peace, joy, light, and the love of our Lord. I just want to spread it around in some small way. Looking at color and art can bring comfort and healing to a heavy heart.

For some odd reason, I have been pondering lately all the things I loved to do when I was a little girl. It is amazing how creative we all were as children. However, somewhere along the way, the child within us is lost and buried beneath so many things of this world. Now, at 44 years of age, I am telling the little girl in me to "wake up" and I am experiencing freedom in so many aspects of my life as well as discovering hidden treasures that have been veiled.

Let me encourage you today dear friend. There is a child within you who is creative, free and adventurous. God is calling the kid in you to come out and to do all the things you dreamed of when you were little. To desire that very thing does not mean you are selfish. It means that you have some cheer to spread around to hurting hearts.

What did you like to do when you were a kid? I loved to talk out loud to whoever I was pretending would listen. I played school, store, dress up. I would pretend my bike was a car and I would drive it all over town which was really our dirt driveway. I would place a towel over my head and pretend it was my long hair. And I loved to collect anything small and pretty so I could make something new.

So I share with you a Heart at Home. Be blessed and encouraged to explore and find the sleeping child within you. Someone needs the beauty that is slumbering there. Worship the Lord with it all!!!!

Saturday, January 10, 2009

Faith Reached Down: A Story


Do you remember when you were a child and your mom or dad would read you a story? Listening to a story brought life to you. It stirred your imagination and it inspired you whether you realized it or not. I remember my fourth grade teacher would read to us at the end of each class period for about fifteen minutes. It was Stuart Little. It was a special treat to sit and listen and imagine the pictures in my head.

So today, I want to simply share a story about a little girl who had one brother. It is a true story. It is about how faith reached down through the prayers of a little 11 year old girl who was afraid her brother would die.

It was a normal day. Daddy was at work. And Momma was home taking care of my brother and me. I was eleven. My brother Chris was twelve. The phone rang. It was my brother's friend who lived in town inviting him over to his house to play.

We lived in a very small town-Ware Shoals, S.C. so my brother could just hop on his bike and be there in a few minutes. My mom did not want him to go at first. But my brother kept begging her to let him go. Finally she decided to let him go.

When Chris arrived at his friend's house, his friend was alone. His parents were at work. They started playing cops and robbers like most little boys like to play. My brother's friend went and got his dad's gun which unknown to them, was loaded.

My brother was the robber. So he went to hide from the cop. Chris found his hiding place in the bottom of a closet. As his friend was searching, he had the gun. Innocently, he opened the door and exclaimed, "Got Cha!" He pointed the gun at Chris and pulled the trigger. The gun went off and the bullet flew into my brother's right upper shoulder.

My mother received a call about the incident so we flew to the medical clinic where my grandfather was a doctor. I remember sitting in the waiting room, terrified to the core because I could hear my only brother crying and moaning in pain.
Moments later the ambulance arrived to take him to the local hospital which was about 30 minutes away.

I found myself in a car with a kind, strange woman who also took me to the hospital. She kept telling me that everything would be fine. It did not seem like it.

It was late at night. The news came that the bullet had done a lot of damage to Chris. The bullet had gone almost all the way through his shoulder. I remember feeling it protruding from his back after the accident when he was home from the hospital.

The bullet broke his collar bone, collapsed his lung, damaged his nerves that controlled his arm and hand (he was paralyzed in his right arm). He had to have emergency surgery to have a shunt put in his shoulder to drain the internal bleeding.

Shortly after that a blood blister formed on his main artery. He was in intensive care and the doctors were saying that if that blister burst, he would bleed to death.
I cannot explain how all this news overwhelmed my 11 year old heart. It was more than I could bear.

I was so shocked I could not cry. I was numb. But I did know how to do one thing. I knew I could pray. It was one night that I was staying with my grandparents. We had been at the hospital and we had left for the evening. I was ready for bed and was waiting for my grandmother to tuck me in. I knelt by the bed and cried to God, "Please let Chris live God. Please make him better. Do not let him die."

The next day we received news that things were looking a little better for Chris. So from then on he gained his strength and healed a little more as each day passed. He was paralyzed and the doctors did not know if he had permanent nerve damage. I watched him struggle everyday to do the normal things such as lift a fork, dress himself, bathe, etc. It took a long time for him to heal.

But I was happy, overjoyed that he made it and that the bullet did not claim my only brother's life. Faith reached down and answered my prayer. I know others were praying too. But oh how God loves to answer the prayer of a little child. And I know He heard me. That is one reason I believe so strongly today in the miracle power of God. I believe that what God says, He will do. That is why it is so important for our children to see that God does arrive in the midst of messes. Jesus was born in a pile of mess. Isn't that proof that He loves to make beauty out of mess and take care of the rest?

One reason I wanted to share this story is because God has his eye on families...on mine and on yours. He cares so much for the unity within families. We pray for God's kingdom to come and for His will to be done. We pray and ask Him to enlarge and stretch our tent pegs. But sometimes we overlook the most important things.

I wanted to dedicate this story and this post to my older and only brother Chris. He is 45 years old. A faithful husband, a loving and respectful man. He is also a caring and excellent father who is engaged in the lives of his two sons. I can look and see that even though he almost did not make it, he is here and alive 30 plus years later representing the love of the father to his family and to the world.

I love you Chris. I have always looked up to you and respected you as my older sibling, my brother and my friend. You were so meant to be and your life bears much fruit. It is seen in your dedication and your faithfulness.

God is calling to families in this season. Without healing and unity in the family, there can be no unity in churches and ministries. If you pray and ask God to bring His kingdom, do not be surprised to see Him prompting you to seek healing in your family relationships. I know that is what He has been doing in me. And it is a wonderful gift. He is brooding over the family this year. Be expectant.

Love your brothers, your sisters, you mother and father. Love your grandparents, in laws and cousins. Tell them you love them and show them. Help them when they are in trouble and do not expect repayment. Love them unconditionally. Then watch the blessing and the glory of God cloak and soak and tackle you in 2009.

Morning Bagel:Love one another. In the same way I loved You, you love one another. This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples-when they see the love you have for one another. John 13: 34-35

Daily Hug: There are many things I can do. There are many goals I can strive toward. But I am learning each day that my life passes before me, that when all is said and done, love is the one and only thing that will last beyond death, loss, disappointment, fear, and discouragement. Love is the reality of life that we so easily loose sight of.

Lord, You were love and You came down. You reached down in the midst of messy lives to show that there is hope and that there is a way. It is You. Help me to love in a way that is pleasing to You God. I know I cannot do this in my own human ability. Because when I do, I always expect something in return. But when you love through me Lord, I find joy and fulfillment in the giving with no strings attached.
Thank You for the blessing of family. For sisters and brothers. For Mothers and Fathers, Grandparents , in laws and cousins. You are so into family God...so into relationships. That is why You showed up in the middle of a family and in the middle of a mess of manure. Because You knew there would be messes in families in the midst of this sinful world. Restore families God. Make them what You want them to be so we can shine together before a dark world and before individuals who need to be a part of Your family. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Thursday, January 8, 2009

My Little Room





What happens when you love to write and you stop for a while? You start feeling stuffed and full and you have to find a way to get it out fast. This is where I am right now. In fact, last week I had thoughts of just canceling my blog. I thought, well no one reads them and they are not making a difference anyway.

Then I sensed the Lord telling me it does not matter if anyone reads them. He spoke to my heart," I have read your heart and I read your blogs, so keep writing. One day they will be read by more than you realize."

It is amazing how the enemy will try to veil the creativity that God puts within you. Because you are made in His image, you are a creator. Everyone has a God given ability to create. I have heard so many people say, "Well, I am not creative." That is a deceitful lie. You are creative and you just need to find your room. There is something waiting to burst out of you and it may be something you never knew was there.

Now if you start to express your creativity, get ready to be mocked by someone. Creativity is one important tool that God uses to draw people into His light. The enemy does not want your light to shine through any avenue of beauty or creativity. Just recently someone insinuated to me that I spend all my time on the computer. "You have 9 children. How do you find the time?"

At first I took that and examined it. Is that true Lord? Am I spending more time on the computer than I should?" I never sensed any conviction. However, this is what I heard in the corners of my heart. " You have something to give others, so keep giving it."

Friends, if you do not give what God put within you, then someone is gonna miss out.
I had been feeling discouraged over the blogging and other things I felt the Lord put in my heart. I asked the Lord to just be with me and talk to me about it.

Then yesterday, I received a package in the mail from my childhood friend who lives in California. It was a pretty envelope with hearts all over it. I felt like that package was from God Himself and it was. Inside was a big thick magazine that was more like a book. The title read, "Artful Blogging." Within the pages are beautiful blogs with photos and inspiring ideas for bloggers. I knew that not only was my friend encouraging me, but the Lord was telling me that He does not want me to stop writing or blogging.

With so much filth and negativity on the Internet, I feel privileged to have a "room" on the wide expanse of the net to spread some good cheer, some encouragement and even just some struggles about everyday living. If someone finds this shallow, then that is their opinion. There are more opinions on the Internet than ever. So why not find some little spot to spread some goodness and hope?

Now in spilling all of this out, this year I covenant with the Lord, to love more deeply even by the things I write. Loving more deeply means trusting more. Not necessarily people, but trusting in the Lord to enable me to share my heart more openly. To be more vulnerable and lift veils that have been draped over my heart by opinions and criticisms.

This is not because I want to draw attention to myself, but because my heart is that others will find life, hope, and joy, in the everyday details of life. And that those who are struggling will see and know they are not alone. The door of my heart is open and may God be glorified in my little room of blogging.

Check back soon because I am going to write about a tender place in my heart and why God is taking me through it. You are welcome to leave me a comment. It sure does lift my heart to get one. May we all endeavor to spread life and love through giving of ourselves more freely this year...in words of hope, life, and encouragement.

Morning Bagel: You are here to be a light, bringing out the God colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We're going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light bearers, you don't think I am going to hide you under a bucket do you? I am putting you on a light stand-SHINE!!Keep open house!Be generous with your lives.By opening up to others you will prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in Heaven. Matthew 5: 14-16

Daily Hug: Dear Lord I give you my hugs today because You are always giving me daddy hugs! How I love you and worship you this day. Without you I have no life, no hope. I have and am nothing without You. Thank you for the light of of Your life that glows within me. I can freely shine because it is not my glory to boast of, but it is You. Remove veils Lord that I have placed over myself. Strip away coverings that I have allowed others to throw over me with negative words and innuendos. Forgive me for allowing that to happen. I stand open before you God and give my heart to You again. Shine through my life, through my heart, and may the result be Your love filling the hearts of others. My house and my little room is open. May Your love be spread in my little corner of the world so that others will truly know You. In Jesus Name, Amen